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.
Erika Long says
Can I use any kind of brown rice or only long grain?
Aubrey Cota says
We like the long grain but please feel free to use either what you have or what you prefer. Thanks!
Georgina Triggiano says
I made the baked brown rice dish as a side to a chicken meal. I served 8 foodies and they all raved about the taste and asked for the recipe. This dish was easy to make and delicious. It will become a “go-to” dish for my family. Thank you for posting it.
Aubrey Cota says
That’s awesome!! Thank you, Georgina.
Caroline says
Hi, my turkey will be cooking in the oven at 320F at the same time, i guess by baking the rice at less temperature, it will just take longer, right?
Thanks
Caroline
Dawn says
Hi Aubrey,
I am so thankful you posted this recipe. I have been in the same rut you talked about. So I really hope there are more to come since I just found out I’m allergic to SOY so that takes A LOT of the table……literally.
Making this tonight with chicken and am so looking forward to rice with some flavor.
THANKS!!!
Melissa G says
This is great – thanks!! I’m totally with you that a person can only eat so much chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice. If you have any more “pick me ups” that spruce up these foods, can you please share?!?!