Low-Sodium Mexican Chicken Casserole

There are some recipes you find that just work.

This Mexican casserole is one of those for our family.

The original recipe came from Luci’s Morsels and is called One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole. We liked the basic recipe right away, but the original version contains ingredients that can add a lot of sodium, including added salt, regular canned beans and tomatoes, and a generous amount of cheese.

So we changed it.

The result is one of those meals where I don’t feel like I’m eating a sad low-sodium substitute.

It still has plenty of flavor.

And that matters.

We Cook Our Protein Ahead of Time

One thing we do differently in our house is cook meat in bulk.

Living in Florida, standing over a grill around dinner time is not always particularly appealing.

It’s hot.

Really hot.

So once or twice a month, we grill a large amount of protein at one time.

We do this with things like:

• Chicken
• Pork
• Tuna

We season everything with no-sodium spices, cook it on the grill, portion it out, vacuum seal it and freeze it.

Then when we want to make something like this casserole, most of the work is already done.

The grill also gives the meat plenty of flavor without needing salt.

For this recipe, we just thaw some of our grilled chicken, chop or shred it, and it is ready to go.

The Biggest Change: Lose the Salt

The original recipe calls for 1½ teaspoons of salt.

We leave it out completely.

That one change eliminates roughly 3,450 mg of sodium from the entire recipe before changing anything else.

And honestly?

We don’t miss it.

There is already a lot going on in this dish.

You have onion.

Bell peppers.

Garlic powder.

Chili powder.

Cumin.

Paprika.

Pepper.

Chili flakes if you want a little heat.

There is plenty of flavor.

If you taste it and think it needs something, add more of the salt-free spices.

We have never found this casserole bland without the added salt.

No-Salt-Added Black Beans

The second change is easy.

We use no-salt-added black beans.

These are a staple in our house anyway. I add black beans to salads all the time, so we usually have several cans in the pantry.

We normally buy ours at Walmart.

Regular canned beans can contain a surprising amount of sodium, so this is one of those really easy substitutions that can make a meaningful difference without changing the recipe.

Drain them and add them exactly the same way you would regular black beans.

No-Salt-Added Tomatoes

Same idea with the tomatoes.

We buy no-salt-added canned tomatoes.

Again, no complicated substitution.

No change in how the recipe cooks.

You are just removing another source of unnecessary sodium.

Between eliminating the added salt and switching to no-salt-added beans and tomatoes, you have already taken a huge amount of sodium out of the original dish.

What About the Cheese?

This is where our family handles things a little differently.

The original recipe calls for 1 to 1½ cups of shredded cheese melted over the casserole.

We don’t put the cheese into the casserole at all.

Instead, we serve it on the side.

Other members of my family are not sodium restricted, so if they want cheese, they can add it to their individual serving.

Is it quite as pretty as pulling a bubbling, cheesy casserole out of the oven?

No.

Do I miss melted cheese?

Of course I do.

But it is one of those things I have mostly gotten used to giving up.

The nice part about serving it separately is that everyone can eat the same dinner.

I don’t need a special meal.

The rest of the family doesn’t have to eat exactly the way I do.

They can add cheese.

I can skip it.

Everybody wins.

Our Low-Sodium Version

Ingredients

• 2 medium bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 4 cups cooked rice or quinoa
• 1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained
• 2–3 cups cooked shredded or chopped no-salt-added grilled chicken
• 2 cans no-salt-added tomatoes
• Shredded cheese, optional, served separately

No added salt.

How We Make It

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the onion and some of the black pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Add the bell peppers, remaining pepper, red pepper flakes if using, and garlic powder.

Cook until the peppers begin to soften.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the cooked rice or quinoa.

Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the no-salt-added black beans, cooked chicken and no-salt-added tomatoes.

Then add the chili powder, cumin and paprika.

Stir everything together and cook until completely heated through.

That’s it.

Since we don’t put cheese over the top, there is no need for us to broil the casserole afterward.

If other family members want cheese, they add it to their individual serving.

How Much Sodium Did We Remove?

The original recipe lists about 1,046 mg of sodium per serving, based on six servings.

The first thing we eliminate is the 1½ teaspoons of added salt.

A teaspoon of table salt contains roughly 2,300 mg of sodium, so removing 1½ teaspoons eliminates about 3,450 mg of sodium from the entire dish.

Then we replace regular canned beans with no-salt-added beans.

We replace regular canned tomatoes with no-salt-added tomatoes.

And I leave the cheese off my serving.

At that point, most of the remaining sodium is coming naturally from ingredients such as the chicken and vegetables, plus whatever small amounts may naturally occur in the other ingredients.

The exact sodium will depend on the brands you use and how your chicken was prepared, so always check your own labels.

But compared with the original version, this is a dramatically different meal.

This Makes a Lot of Food

One warning.

This recipe makes a lot.

The original recipe is listed as six servings, and I believe it.

My problem is that I tend to overeat every time we make it.

It’s one of those meals where you finish your bowl and think:

Maybe just a little more.

Then a little more turns into another serving.

So apparently my biggest problem with this casserole is no longer sodium.

It’s portion control.

I’ll take that problem.

Why I Like Recipes Like This

This is exactly the type of low-sodium cooking that works for me.

I don’t want every meal to feel like something was taken away.

I would rather start with a recipe we already enjoy and figure out where the sodium is coming from.

Sometimes the solution is surprisingly simple.

Remove the salt.

Buy the no-salt-added version of canned ingredients.

Put higher-sodium toppings on the side.

Use spices for flavor.

You don’t necessarily have to reinvent the entire meal.

Sometimes you just need to change the parts that are causing the problem.

And this one is staying in our regular rotation.

Recipe Credit

This recipe was adapted from the One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole by Luci’s Morsels. I modified the recipe to fit the way my family cooks and to significantly reduce the sodium.