Baked Rice Pilaf
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp butter
½ cup onion, minced
½ cup carrot, grated
1 cup rice
½ cup pine nuts (optional)
2 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp coriander
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Heat butter and sesame oil in a pan. Add onion and carrot and saute for 3 minutes. Add rice and pine nuts. Continue to saute for 3-5 minutes until onions and carrots are softened.
Add garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, parsley, thyme and salt. Saute for one minute.
Place rice mixture, chicken broth and bay leaf in a 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake for 18 minutes or until no liquid remains in the bottom of the dish.
Allow to stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and fluff rice before serving.
4 servings, 234 calories per serving
Hack: Place serving size portioned leftovers into freezer bags. Roll to squeeze the air out of the freezer bag, freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and microwave or heat on the stove.
Hack: Pine nuts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 months or in the freezer for 6 months.
Hack: Use the leftover nuts in Roasted Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Scallion Pesto, or this Healthy Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel!
Hi, thanks for this wonderful post. I love to eat but I do a little less well in the kitchen, lol. I’m still a beginner but I’m very interested in it all. This recipe seems interesting and very tasty to me, so I will definitely have to try it. If I fail, I will share this post with my mom! 🙂
The one thing I like about baking my rice is that there is less of a chance that I can burn it! Rice on the stovetop only takes a minute to scorch (and ruin your pan) but the oven offers a bit more flexibility! Give it a shot…I know you’ll do great!
Hi, Cynthia. Thank you for your recipe! I will try it when I am available. And I want to know which kind of rice do you think the best for this dish? Do I need to wash rice before cooking it? Sometimes water can affect the taste of a dish. Do you think it would be better cooked with overnight rice?
I always use Jasmine rice, as I prefer the aroma and flavor, but I don’t think it matters what kind of rice you use. If you use brown rice, I suggest increasing the stock by 1 cup and the baking time to one hour. I don’t suggest soaking the rice overnight as it would throw off the texture of the finished rice pilaf. I hope this helps!
Hi Cynthia, I love Rice Pilaf, although rarely eat it these days because I adhere to a Paleo diet that excludes grains. However, when I do bake rice, I also incorporate some Cardamom pods, which add a highly aromatic flavor to the dish. Goes well with wonderful chicken curries. Have you ever tried adding Cardamom?
I’ve never even heard of Cardamom before now but I’m up for an adventure! I’ll pick some up on my next shopping trip!
Hey there! Great article as usual. I like all of your unique and flavorful recipes that you post on your site. I really love incorporating rice in my diet to give me energy and extra calories for my bulking season. What are the nutritional benefits of this dish if you don’t mind me asking?
One serving of rice has approximately 53 grams of carb as well as 4 grams of protein. It can serve as a good source of B vitamins (including thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin) and iron. Rice is also an excellent source of manganese and magnesium. It contains resistant starch to aid colon health.
Hi Cynthia,
I am just clicking around on your site because I am so excited to try some of these recipes. I am a big fan of Rice Pilaf. Looking at your recipe, I am going to say to people, they need to try this! Follow the steps! There is a big difference between a good pilaf and bad pilaf and Cyntia has laid this out perfectly.
One thing I will say, if you want to experience the best food, use the freshest and best ingredients you can find. A lot of the flavor that makes great Pilaf is the seasoning. If you use better seasoning you will get better flavor!
Keep on cooking!
Chad
Thank you for your kind comments, Dude!
I really like this recipe for baked rice pilaf, I will try it. I admit I don’t use pine nuts, but I’m thinking of adding them when preparing rice according to your recipe. Do they have any specific taste?
I have a period when I experiment a bit again and try new spices and various mixes, so now is a good opportunity to try pine nuts, which are not typical for our kitchen, but I know they have them in the store and I can buy them.
Friendly greeting,
Nina
Pine nuts have a high oil content which gives them a rich, buttery flavor and creamy texture. Use the leftover nuts in roasted asparagus, pesto, or this vegetable lasagna!