This is a brown rice casserole recipe that I made up one day recently when I wanted to create a healthy vegetable and rice one pot side dish. (Well, it’s close to one pot.)
Often, when I know I will be super busy for a few days I like to make things ahead that I can eat over the next few days. I like it to be healthy though and include a lot of vegetables. That way I don’t have to think about dinner much when I get into the kitchen late and tired.
I just broil or saute a chicken breast or piece of fish and dinner is ready, or eat this by itself as a vegetarian main course.
If you want a vegetarian main dish with lots of leftovers, this one is great. Just change the chicken stock to vegetable stock. Leave out the cheese to make it vegan. It will still taste great.
This is such a healthy dinner recipe full of the goodness of brown rice and vegetables.
Brown rice is simply the white rice we know with the outer layer or bran still left on it, similar to whole wheat in the wheat world. It is healthier than white rice and lower on the glycemic index, so it’s better for diabetics. The only down side is that it does take longer to cook – about 40 to 45 minutes. I often cook up a batch, then use it over the next few days in a variety of ways.
You can vary this recipe to suit your tastes. You really can add or subtract vegetables according to your taste. Just keep in mind that the mix of vegetables you use with determine the taste. For example, I that find red or green pepper add a strong taste of pepper to whatever they are added to. So if you like pepper, go ahead and use it.
Use either olive oil, grapeseed oil or your favorite cooking oil in this recipe. Olive oil leaves a distinctive taste that I don’t want in this recipe so I use grapeseed oil. I love grapeseed oil and use it for most of my cooking. Of course you can use your favorite vegetable oil.
Brown Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or grapeseed oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped fairly small
- 1 cup peas, frozen
- 1 carrot, grated
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
- Place the rice into a fairly large pot with about 4 cups of water. Add the salt and turn the heat on high. Boil the rice until it is almost done, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the onions, garlic and celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or grapeseed oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the vegetables in the hot oil until they are soft. Add the sliced mushroom and cook until the mushrooms have lost their moisture and started to brown. Grate the carrot and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- About 2 minutes before the rice is ready, add the chopped broccoli to the pot with the rice and water. Cook the broccoli for about 2 minutes. Drain the rice and broccoli and return the mixture to the pot. Add the garlic, onion, celery and mushroom mixture to the rice and broccoli. Add the frozen peas (still frozen is fine), the grated carrot and the green onions. Add the thyme. Mix all together and pour into a baking dish. Pour the chicken stock over the mixture and sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake the rice casserole at 375º for about 20 to 25 minutes, until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted. I cover the casserole for the first 15 to 20 minutes, then leave it off for about 5 minutes for the cheese to melt.
Nutrition
Serves 6 to 8.
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