Quick and Easy Spanish Rice

I discovered an easy way to make Spanish Rice one night while making dinner using Cheddar Cheese Soup and it was a big hit but this weekend as I started to make it I thought about the high sodium content in the soup. It's always such a balancing act trying to make meals that are low in fat and carbs but also lower in sodium. One of them usually has to give. At the last minute I swapped out the cheese soup with a bag (7 oz) of Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar Cheese. It tasted just as good if not better and definitely had less sodium. I love the fact that Sargento is now putting out a line of Reduced Sodium cheeses!

Another great find was Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice. As a Diabetic white rice is usually on my no-no list but this rice tastes like white rice but has 4g of fiber per serving which means I can have a little now and then without spiking my blood sugar out of range.

While this recipe isn't guilt-free it is certainly a little healthier than the average version. Now if I could only find a "No salt added" version of the Rotel Tomato and Green Chilies I would be in heaven :)

QUICK AND EASY SPANISH RICE

2 4.40 oz. Boxes of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice
1 7 oz. pkg. Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 10 oz. can Rotel Tomato and Green Chilies
1 Small onion finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 Tb. Smart Balance Light Butter Spread

Cook both boxes of rice according to directions.

In a large skillet melt butter and add cooked rice and stir for about 5 minutes. Add onion, can of tomato and green chilies (with juice) and garlic powder. Stir and heat through another 5 minutes then add the bag of shredded cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted and the rice mixture becomes bubbly. Remove from heat and serve.

Makes 10 - 1/2 cup servings

Number of Servings: 10

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 259.2

• Total Fat: 7.8 g
• Cholesterol: 21.0 mg
• Sodium: 242.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 40.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
• Protein: 9.0 g