Italian Rice

When I was a kid I knew that my mom was in a great mood when she would make this rice casserole dish that she called Italian Rice. I do not know much about it; all I know is that it is yummy. The way she made it was bad for you. She used beef instead of ground turkey and she used white rice instead of brown. And she did not add many vegetables to the dish at all, only olives. My mom was a single mom and money was extremely tight. And we often times relied on government food banks to help us eat. That is where I learned to love cheese, because the government cheese they would give us would come in ten pound increments.

I decided to make my own version of this loved dish, but with healthy ingredients to feed my body as well as good memories of my mom. One thing my birth mom instilled in me was a love of simple food, such as beans, (her beans were the best and I still have not figured out her secret yet) and grits and other simple things.
Here is my version of the recipe. Yes, it is yummy. Just like pasta dishes it is always better the next day. Enjoy.

Italian Rice
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 Jar of pasta sauce (any kind you use)
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon Worcheshire sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375
Cook rice to the directions you are used to or use left over rice.
In a large skillet sauté mushrooms and celery until tender. Then cook ground turkey until done. Add pasta sauce and Worcheshire sauce in with the ground turkey and vegetables. In a casserole dish combine rice and sauce then sprinkle cheese on the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is melted.