The Old-School Casserole From The '30s That You Probably Already Have The Ingredients For

When times get tough, we often turn to the past for inspiration. Not quite 100 years ago, our forebears were struggling through the Great Depression. As a result, recipes from this era are often quite budget friendly. One redditor took to the platform to share a selection of pages from a vintage cookbook they said was published in 1936. Although they didn't name-drop the title, we suspect it's an early edition of "Rice: 200 Delightful Ways to Serve It," authored by the Southern Rice Industry of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the early 1930s. 

The post offered a bunch of recipes based on one of the cheapest, most shelf-stable ingredients that most of us already have kicking around in a cupboard: rice. The selection included some, er, interesting options, including a meatless meatloaf made with rice, cottage cheese, and peanuts, as well as a pie crust composed of crushed Rice Krispies. Our favorite, however, was a baked rice and cheese casserole.

To make it, start with a few cups of cooked rice, some shredded cheese, and milk, along with salt and cayenne pepper for seasoning. (Who said our ancestors only ate bland food?) The rice and cheese are layered in a casserole dish, then topped with a crust made of breadcrumbs and butter before baking. While it could be served as a side dish, it may well have been meant as a main course. The cheese, after all, serves as a source of relatively inexpensive protein bulked up by the rice.

What is it about this cheese and rice casserole that seems familiar? Eureka! It's essentially baked mac and cheese made with a different type of starch. As such, it can definitely take its place alongside one of America's favorite comfort foods as a struggle meal that you won't have to struggle to get through. In fact, why not give it a glow-up in the same way that '00s hipster restaurants did with mac and cheese? Okay, so maybe adding lobster or truffles would defeat the whole budget-friendly aspect, but there's no reason not to embellish the dish with some cheaper add-ins.

The original recipe doesn't specify a type of cheese, so you don't have to stick with good old American, but can opt for cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack, or anything else that's reasonably soft. (Avoid using cheeses that are too aged, dry, or crumbly, though, since they won't melt well.) You can also add some Parmesan to the breadcrumb topping, or replace the crumbs with crushed crackers, tortilla chips, or pork rinds. 

Many canned ingredients can also take your rice and cheese over the top without boosting the price too much: a can of tuna for extra protein, condensed milk for richness, or chopped green chiles for mild heat. Shredded chicken, pulled pork, cooked ground beef, and crumbled bacon make great add-ins, as well. Basically, if you can mac and cheese it, you can also rice and cheese it for equally tasty results.