Creamy-Crispy Hamburger Rice Casserole

Anxious for some genuine, home-cooked comfort food after a grueling two weeks relocating our household from one state to another, and totally sick of DoorDash, I went about my new kitchen to create a dinner rice casserole.  Few things are as comforting to me as hamburger, cheese and white rice, and borrowing a few recipe ideas from the Internet and my own creative thoughts, this is what I came up with.  And yes, this is another "can-o-dis recipe" and for the sake of ease and comfort, I will allow it.

Ingredients
1 lb 80/20 ground beef (sirloin or chuck)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (like, Campbell's)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup (like, Campbell's)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup champagne or white wine
1-1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 tbsp dehydrated onions
1 tbsp salt + 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried chives
1 tbsp Worcestershire black pepper (like McCormick)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted (do not substitute canned)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 6-oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained (like, Green Giant)
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
1 sleeve buttery crackers (like, Town House or Ritz)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

The Recipe
Combine 3-1/4 cups of water with the olive oil, dehydrated onions and one tablespoon of salt in a medium sized pot and then bring to the boil over high heat. Stir in the rice; put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting. Allow the rice to absorb the liquid for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit undisturbed for ten minutes.

 Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the two soups, the teaspoon of salt, chives, Worcestershire black pepper, garlic powder, milk, heavy cream and champagne or white wine in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Sauté the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until all the pink is gone.  Move the meat to the sides of the pan leaving an opening in the middle, and toss in the diced onion, red bell pepper and shredded carrots.  Sauté for eight to ten minutes until the onions are beginning to caramelize.  Pour off any grease, and then put all the skillet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the soup mixture.

Add the rice, green peas and mushrooms to the beef and soup mixture and using a rubber spatula, gently fold them in until everything is well combined.

Put the sleeve of buttery crackers in a zip lock plastic bag and crumble them, but not too finely.  Put them into a small mixing bowl and add the melted butter, then stir until all the butter is absorbed.  Add the shredded cheddar and stir to combine.

Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray, and then turn out the rice and beef mixture into the dish.  Level the top with a spatula, then evenly spread the cracker-cheese mixture over the surface of the rice.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven at 350 degrees.  The top will be crispy and crunchy while the body of the casserole will be soft and creamy.

Enjoy with some slice tomatoes or a small green salad, and be comforted!