Mexican Beans and Rice with Spicy Meatballs (Recipe)

Here's a one-dish meal that's a surefire hit.  Be sure to use extra-lean ground beef in the meatballs so you don't end with excess fat in this dish.  Serve with small bowls of chopped fresh cilantro, sliced scallions, green tomatillo salsa, and sour cream to spoon on top.

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

2 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/3 cup finely chopped carrots

3 1/2 cups water

1 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cups converted white rice

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Steps

1.  To make the meatballs, in a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, 1/2 package taco seasoning mix, cilantro, bread crumbs, carrots, and 1/2 cup of the water.  Mix to blend well.  Roll into 24 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Set aside.

2.  For the beans and rice, in a 4 or 5 quart electric slow cooker, mix together the remaining 3 cups water with the remaining taco seasoning mix, olives, green chiles, garlic, bell pepper, and rice.  Gently push the meatballs down into the rice mixture.

3.  Cover and cook on the low heat setting 4 hours, or until the rice is just tender and the meatballs are cooked through.

4.  Gently stir in the beans.  Cover and cook 30 minutes longer.