“Ugly Betty” is one of the few shows I watched as it aired during my college years, and it provided a great dose of comfort in watching each week.

Tamales are also a great comfort food, so this pairing came pretty easy. We are making this tamale dinner extra easy by having you skip the process of making tamales and buying ones from your favorite store.

This gluten-free, vegetarian recipe yields 2 “servings.” Depending on the flavor of tamales you buy, it is easy to adapt this to be vegan as well.

Ingredients
2 frozen green chile & cheese tamales
1 cup vegetarian refried beans
0.5 cups uncooked brown rice
2 tablespoons taco sauce or salsa (plus more for serving)

Instructions
Cook the rice and tamales according to the respective packaging. Note that some tamales might need time to thaw before cooking.

For our rice and tamales, we steamed the tamales in a bamboo basket on top of our cooking rice. Most pre-made tamales can be prepared in the microwave if you don’t have a steamer basket or are looking for a simpler process.

Heat the beans according to their packaging instructions.

Stir the taco sauce or salsa into the cooked rice. If you like your rice on the saucier side, add more.

Make yourself a plate! Spoon more salsa or drizzle more taco sauce over the top of your tamale.

The Easy Route
This is already one of the easiest routes, but you could buy precooked rice to simplify that. Ordering tamales, beans and rice from a local restaurant for takeout or delivery is also a solid option.

The Pairing
“Ugly Betty” is the American adaptation of the Mexican telenovela “Yo Soy Betty la Fea.”

America Ferrera stars as the titular Betty Suarez in the ABC show, which ran four seasons. I had loved Ferrera’s performances in “Real Women Have Curves” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” so I was eager to see her in this new show.

In the first episode, Betty finds herself working as an executive assistant at a fashion magazine, and she is eager to have this start to her journalism career. As a college journalism student, I could relate.

Given its telenovela roots and setting in the fashion industry, the show does at time rely on tropes like a girl becoming instantly more attractive just by removing her glasses (or braces) and putting a little makeup on.

However, there is some balance in seeing Betty be herself and how her coworkers come to respect her for who she is and appreciating having a voice different than their own at the table.

Plus Betty’s coworkers are played by some fantastic actors who give just the right mix of telenovela drama and comedic relief. For starters, you have Eric Mabius as her boss/editor-in-chief Daniel Meade; Vanessa Williams as fierce editor Wilhelmina Slater; Becki Newton as the magazine’s receptionist, Amanda; and last but certainly not least, Michael Urie as Wilhelmina’s assistant, Marc.

We also get to see Betty’s home life, which includes her father, Ignacio (Tony Plana); her sister, Hilda (Ana Ortiz); and her fashion-obsessed nephew, Justin (Mark Indelicato).

If you’re in the mood for an over-the-top drama that also has a few moments of comic relief and a lot of heart, check out “Ugly Betty.” We recently rewatched a couple episodes on Hulu.

If you decide to make this tamale dinner and/or watch “Ugly Betty,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes