OMG!!!!! Just post em, Brother! You are killing me here! You have GOT to post that recipe. I'm trying to break it all down by the pic, but I can't quite figure it all out.
You could use rice, but the it would be more of a Spanish rice. You can use any kind of dry pasta like shells, elbows, etc. The Mexican brands make all kinds of shapes. These were wagon wheels. They have star pasta and even alphabet pasta. I just lightly toast the pasta in the pan first with some evoo. Bout 1tbs. Once it has some color to it, I toss in one small can of tomato sauce. I fill the can with water to get all the sauce out and then keep adding a couple more can fills of water till pasta is covered. Watch out for the sizzle. You are adding water to the oil that was in there. From here, just season with some sofrito or just salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and allow it to simmer till softened. You may need to add a little if it gets too thick. Once done, turn off heat and add a layer of shredded cheese on top. Pretty much just a tomatoey, cheesy pasta. I like to add chopped spam to it sometimes. The kids love it even more with spam!