Cheesy Beef and Rice

This isn't a gourmet meal or even remotely fancy, but it's simple and comforting and really quite good.  I used ground turkey and since I only had a couple of tablespoons of sour cream, I used some plain yogurt in there as well. It sounds a little weird, but nice things happen in the oven.  The key is to add enough salt.  I tasted it before baking (you can do that, everything is already cooked!) and it was definitely not what I was expecting.....but when I added some more salt, it went from ho-hum to very tasty.  The melted cheese on top was the final kicker.  The kids and I ate most of this in two dinners while Grant was out of town...so if I'm going to make it while he's home and want leftovers, I'll up the proportions a bit.   

Apparently this makes a great freezer meal....I haven't tried it yet, but I'm including the directions below.

Recipe: from Heavenly Homemakers

1 cup long grain brown rice
1 lb ground beef or turkey
3 T. minced onion, or fresh chopped onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
sea salt, to taste
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - I use white cheddar - trying to avoid those food colorings!

Boil two cups of water. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic powder. Mix with rice and salt well. Stir in sour cream and milk. Spread into a casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. (If not baking immediately, cover well and freeze.)
Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

To bake from frozen: Thaw casserole on counter all day. Bake as directed above.