My gut feeling is yes, it would have to be, but I also want to say that your recipe sounds delicious. I assume it's the salsa in a a jar, or do you make a homemade one?

It is tasty, IâÂÂm very happy with it! I cook for the High School Band so I try for 1) Easy to replicate 2) Tastes good! and 3) Economical. Therefore, I use Pace Picante Sauce (medium) since I can buy it in bulk at CostCo. :-)

I usually throw the ingredients into my 60 cup rice cooker when feeding just the kids, but I will be feeding 150 at the upcoming awards banquet (parents invited), so I need to make more. I have access to the school kitchen (commercial ovens) - Yea! So preparing the rice in steam table trays seems like the best way to go. I made the 9 x 13 last night and it was perfect, and IâÂÂm half tempted to make a large one too, but I would be wasting so much! Oh! Perhaps I can freeze some and see how that works! Two tests in one might just justify the excessâ¦

My banquet meal will be Chicken Enchiladas (recipe below), Spanish Rice, Re-fried Beans, Mexican Caesar Salad, and Watermelon Slices. I think I can do all of this for about $3.00 pp.

When I triple this recipe - I do 4 layers because the steam table pans are deeper, I use 12 tortillas per layer, and cook it for 75 minutes. I have done these before and they came out Great!

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas - 10
1 Costco Chicken shredded (4 cups)
8 ounces sour cream
1 package Taco Seasoning (1/4 cup bulk)
1 can Black Beans
1 can Corn (or 1/2 bag TJâÂÂs frozen Roasted Corn)
15 Corn Tortillas
1 (28 ounce) can green Chile Enchilada Sauce (Yellow Label)
12 ounces Shredded Cheese

Optional Garnish: Chopped Green Onions, sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes

Directions
Combine Chicken, Sour Cream, Taco Seasoning, Beans and Corn. Divide in half.

Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam.

First Layer:
Dip 5 tortillas into Enchilada Sauce and place on bottom of pan. Tear to fit if necessary.

Spread 1/2 Chicken Mixture on top.

Spread 4 ounces of cheese on top

Second Layer: Repeat First Layer.

Third Layer: Dip 6 tortillas into Sauce and place in pan. Sprinkle 4 ounces of cheese on top.

Cover and cook for 40 minutes @350. Remove cover, sprinkle Garnish on top if using and cook until top looks nice.

I remembered a fellow band parent was having an event this weekend and she was buying Mexican food from a local restaurant to serve. I asked her if she plans to serve Spanish rice and she is - she was going to order enough to serve 50 people - perfect! She has had enough of my band food to trust me and is happy to let me provide the rice. Test on! :-)

My plan is to bake the large pan for the same amount of time - 70 minutes @ 350 - then try to shake the pan to see if there is any liquid left, or if it feels solid. I did this with my 9 x 13 test, but of course that was a much smaller pan. I hesitate to open the foil for fear I will release too much steam which IMO, is needed to finish the cooking process.

If anyone has thoughts on this I am all ears!

Jeri

I like your idea and think you can lift the foil on a corner and push back a bit of rice. If you see just a little water, that will absorb as it sits for the 15-45 minutes. If it still has standing liquid, I would cook it longer. Neat idea for a crowd! I wish we could cook for our banquets -- they get so expensive.

jeri, I think you are going to have to increase your cooking time, only because the pan will be deeper and wider than the 9x13 and it will require extra time to cook all the way through to the middle.

There's no way to really know except to try it, so it's convenient that you get to make that big pan as a test. I'd give myself some leeway, though, probably half an hour at least. I'd peek or check after the normal cooking time but give myself that extra time. I think you're going to need it.

Good luck, and have fun!

Annie

Thank you for the replies! I will give myself extra time and I will peak. :-)

I have Googled till my fingers are sore and I can only find baked rice recipes that call for boiling the liquid first. I proved to myself that was not necessary with the 9 x 13 test, so IâÂÂm surprised not to find recipes that donâÂÂt think this is necessary. The recipes that call for boiling the liquid do cook in half the time and IâÂÂm sure this is important to some. For me, making the recipe as simple as possible is a higher priority - this can all be done in just one pan.

Thanks for the help, and I will report back what I find. :-)

Jeri

I make brown rice and veggies in chicken broth, topped with browned pork chops in the oven. The rice is not cooked prior, which makes for easy preparation as you mentioned, Jeri.

The good news is, the rice turned out Great! The bad news is, I really donâÂÂt have my answer. I checked the rice at 70 minutes, and although it was not raw, neither was it expanded (if that makes sense), and there was no visible liquid. However, since I didnâÂÂt check my original 9 x 13 test at 70 minutes, I have no reference point!

I put the pan back into the oven for another 15 minutes, then turned the oven off and left it in there until service 30 minutes later, and it was perfect. This is a Great way to make a large tray of Spanish rice.

Also, because one of my goals is "easy" - I just cubed the butter and mixed it in with the rest of the ingredients, knowing it would melt eventually. One less step!

Bravo, I was hoping that you would report back.
I am saving this recipe for my contribution for our Mustangs end of season picnic. The plus is--being in Tampa Spanish dishes are the norm.