Rice & Beans & Cheese

• Oil for sauté
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 1 or 2 carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 green pepper
• 2 – 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and Basil, Oregano, your favorites
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed (to get rid of sugar and salt)
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1/2 cup or more grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook rice: first wash it (put in strainer and run water over it). Then put rice with 3 cups of water in a pot with a tight fitting lid. Boil for 25 minutes or until rice is done. Add Parmesan cheese to the cooked rice.

While rice is cooking, chop onions, carrots, celery, green peppers, and any other vegetable you want to put in. Sauté the vegetables, starting with the onions for 5 minutes, then add celery & carrots & green pepper for another 10 minutes then add garlic and lots of herbs and spices and cook another 5 – 10 minutes. Add rinsed beans. Add tomato sauce. Add cheese/rice mixture to veg/bean mixture (or vise versa depending on the size of your pots & skillets). Mix all together, put in a large casserole (oven safe dish). Bake at 350o F for 1/2 – 1 hour. Can be frozen.