Brown rice gets a makeover with garlic and fresh herbs then baked until perfectly fluffy – this baked brown rice will be your new side dish staple!
Lately, I’ve been doing my best to eat healthy and when I do that, I sometimes fall victim to the boring food rut. Tell me you’ve been there too? I can only eat so much chicken and broccoli before enough is enough. Another food that gets mixed up in that rut is brown rice. I just pop it in my rice cooker then eat it plain – that gets old and boring fast.
This month I vowed to get more creative with my healthy meals and easy casserole recipes and to make things with more flavor. Since I love to have brown rice as a side– it’s a healthy whole grain that’s full of vitamins and minerals and it’s pretty cheap – I decided to give it a little makeover. Onion, garlic, and fresh herbs make all the difference. Plus it cooks up beautifully and has a texture you would never expect from brown rice. I always have garlic and parsley on hand so that’s what I’ve included in my recipe, but it’s also really easy to change up based on what’s in your fridge, like a cilantro & lime combo or even Parmesan and fresh basil.
I will admit, this recipe takes a bit of foresight and planning since you have to bake it, but believe me, it is so worth it! I like to make a double batch so I can have it on hand to heat up later in the week.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1½ cups long grain brown rice rinsed well
- 2 Tbsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the water, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the rice. Cover and bake about 60 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
- Remove the pot from the oven, uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
