Hannah Messinger's All-One Magic Casserole

Today I'm cooking with odds and ends.

I’m not going to list out 18 different functions of tonight’s dinner like Dr. Bronner, but here are a handful: clears out the fridge! has many nutrients! satisfyingly cheesy! fast assembly!

This morning I went out into the yard and picked green onions and poblanos. I sauteed them in olive oil and stirred them into freshly cooked rice with frozen corn, frozen chard, half a roasted red pepper from a jar, half a can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles, taco seasoning, mushroom seasoning, and plenty of shredded cheese. Into my favorite cooking vessel, buttered, followed by a nap in the fridge. Later I’ll pop it into a 425F oven until heated through and crispy at the edges.

But the real pièce de résistance? Leftover Tex-Mex queso. Cold and congealed, lost and lonely in the fridge for more than a week now after we ran out of tortilla chips. I’ll spoon it on top of the rice during the last few minutes of baking. I’ll garnish bowls of steaming, cheesy casserole with chopped pumpkin seeds and cilantro from the yard. Maybe a squeeze of lemon and dollop of Greek yogurt. Not too shabby for a Thursday night.