You will love everything about this green chile rice casserole.
This simple, easy, 4 ingredient side dish comes out cheesy, creamy, and DELICIOUS creating the perfect comfort food!

Your whole family will love it and beg for more.
Serve as a cheesy Mexican side dish or a hearty comfort Southern side.
Green chile rice casserole video
Ingredients
To make this green chile rice casserole, you will need the following ingredients.
- rice- white rice
- canned diced green chiles or hatch chiles-I use the mild green chiles. To make it spicier, use hot hatch chiles or add cayenne pepper.
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese- I prefer sharp cheddar for this recipe.
Tip: Make it a meal by adding diced chicken!
Variations for cheesy sour cream rice:
- Add one can of drained corn.
- Substitute cheddar for Monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese.
- If in season, replace canned green chiles with roasted fresh hatch chiles.
- I like the hatch chiles best for this recipe, but you can substitute with diced jalapeno peppers.
Can you add any additional spices?
The star flavor in this recipe is the green chili rice casserole.
If you add extra seasonings like cumin or chili powder, it will over power the green chili flavor.
While it will still taste delicious, I do not recommend because you want to keep the integrity of the green chili flavor.
This recipe is not spicy. Children can eat this rice casserole.
You can add cayenne pepper to spice it up without changing the flavor.
Tip: When covering with tin foil, make sure the foil is not touching the cheese or it will stick.
Steps
Follow these easy steps to make green chile rice casserole.
- Cook in rice maker or on stove top according to directions.
- Mix all ingredients together except for 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add rice mixture to a greased 2-quart casserole dish or 8 x 8 square baking dish.
- Top with remaining cup of cheese.
- Cover with foil making sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and cook an additional 5- 10 minutes until cheese on top is completely melted.
Can you freeze leftovers?
You can freeze leftovers. To freeze, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To serve, unthaw completely. Reheat at 350 degrees until hot.
Remove foil and cook an additional 5- 10 minutes until cheese on top is completely melted.
Looking for other delicious side dishes? Try some of these:
- Jalapeno Cheese Grits
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Mexican Black Beans
- Southern Slow Cooker Green Beans and Potatoes
Please leave me a comment below if you make this green chile rice casserole and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your rice on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Recipe
Cheesy Green Chile Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- 2 ½ cups cheese shredded
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 8 ounces diced green chiles canned
Instructions
- Cook 1 ½ cups rice in rice maker or on stove top according to directions.
- Mix cooked rice, 1 ½ cups cheese, 16 ounces sour cream, and 8 ounces of canned diced green chiles or hatch chiles with liquid in a mixing bowl.
- Add rice mixture to a greased 2-quart casserole dish or 8 x 8 square baking dish.
- Top with remaining cup of cheese. Cover with foil making sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove casserole from oven. Remove foil and bake an additional 5- 10 minutes until cheese on top is completely melted.
Barb
Love this casserole. I make it a main dish by adding 2 cooked chicken breast chopped up, as well as a red pepper, half an onion and a handful of cherry tomatoes. I saute the onions and peppers before putting in. So delicious! Thank you!
Amanda
This is some serious comfort food! I just love how cheesy it was, and the green chiles added such a wonderful flavor.
Tristin
I am just amazed that I just happened to have all of the ingredients needed for this recipe and it was DELISH! This one is a keeper.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
Make this and watch it disappear! Such a great recipe and super easy to make!
Cathleen
Okay, I have all of the ingredients at the house so I am so excited to try this as soon as the weather gets a little cooler. Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Kathryn
This casserole made the best side dish! It was such a hit and so simple to make. I'll be adding this to my dinner rotation from now on!
LaKita
This rice casserole came out so cheesy and delicious! It came together in minutes and I paired it with some grilled chicken for dinner.
Pete
So quick and easy to make for dinner! I added the corn and jalapeños as suggested and it was delicious!
Heather
Absolutely delicious! Added some
Corn and a pinch of cayenne.
Colleen
Thanks for sharing this delicious rice casserole recipe. It's so simple to make and it was a big hit at my house.
Freya
I used vegan cheese and sour cream and it was absolutely delicious, such a yummy side dish!
Liz
How simple & easy to make! We love this as a side when we eat tacos. The whole family enjoys it.
Allyssa
This is so amazing and really delicious! Thanks a lot for sharing this easy to make cheesy green chile rice casserole recipe! Will surely make this again! Loved it!