This Sausage and Bean Casserole is easy to put together using ingredients you will find in your pantry. It mixes rice, beans, sausage, salsa and cheese to create a flavorful and filling meal for your family. You can substitute any bean you have on hand along with whatever protein is in your fridge! 

SAUSAGE AND BEAN CASSEROLE

A lot of you have requested more recipes using basic ingredients you might have in your pantry.

Today’s Sausage and Bean Casserole is one you can make with basic things you probably already have.

This easy casserole uses beans, sausage, rice, salsa and cheese.

I will give you ideas on how to customize this recipe below based on what you might have in your house. 

One thing I really love about simple casseroles like this one is that it makes a lot of leftovers.

When I have my whole family home all week it is crucial to have a lot of leftovers that I can reheat for lunches or dinners.

A few other casseroles I enjoy making are this Mexican Chicken Casserole, Easy Mexican Noodle Casserole, Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole or this Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole. 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS SAUSAGE AND BLACK BEAN CASSEROLE?

PROTEIN: When I created this recipe I had a chicken sausage in my fridge. Feel free to use any variety of sausage that you have on hand. 

RICE: You can feel free to use whatever rice you have on hand. I especially like brown rice or even try a Spainsh rice for more flavor. 

DICED TOMATOES: I used a diced tomato with green chiles in this recipe. You can just use a can of regular diced tomatoes if that is all you have. 

BEANS: I added black beans to this healthy sausage casserole. I like the extra protein it adds to the dish. 

SALSA: If you have a jar of salsa in your fridge or pantry it is a great addition to this casserole. Similar to the spices, you can skip the salsa. I do recommend using either the spices or the salsa.

I used a mild chunky salsa but you can use any you have on hand. Try making this Easy Homemade Salsa Verde or this Homemade Salsa if you want to make it from scratch. 

CHEESE: Cheese isn’t a necessary ingredient in this casserole but cheese is always a good idea in my house.

I added a sharp cheddar and monterrey jack. You could also use some pepper jack to spice things up or mozzarella cheese. 

SPICES: While spices are not necessary since you are adding salsa, they do help give extra flavor to your dish. I suggest just using whatever you have that you think will pair nicely.

For this dish I used chili powder and cumin but I also think oregano, Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper would work. 

COOKING TIPS AND WAYS TO MODIFY THIS EASY SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

PROTEIN: I used sausage for this recipe but you can use any protein you would like. I think that ground meat works great, like beef or turkey, or try shredded chicken.

You can also leave out the meat to create a vegetarian rice and bean casserole. 

GRAINS: I used basmati rice because that is what I had on hand. You can try brown rice, any white rice, Spanish rice or even a different grain. I think quinoa could work nicely. 

VEGETABLES: If you have some vegetables in your fridge try adding bell pepper, onion or jalapeños.

I suggest sautéing them with the protein that you are using if that needs to be cooked before baking the casserole. 

BEANS: I added black beans to this casserole. Free to use whatever beans you have like pinto beans, kidney beans or red beans. 

CAN I FREEZE A RICE AND BEAN CASSEROLE?

Since this casserole has sausage in it you will want to make sure you cook the sausage first and then freeze the meal.

If you are skipping the sausage and just doing rice and beans you can freeze the meal before baking it in the oven and then just bake with cheese once you reheat it.

For an already baked casserole you will let it cool completely.

Then freeze this simple sausage casserole until frozen solid.

Once it is frozen you will remove the contents from the dish it was in and seal it up in foil. Put the foil-wrapped casserole into a freezer safe bag or container and it will keep for up to four months.