Brown Rice (Baked)

luvmybge's Note:

Brown rice is SO much better for you than white rice. It has more nutrients and about 3 times more fiber than white rice does. I never really cared for brown rice UNTIL I tasted this one. You can do as many variations as you like with it. Add your favorite herbs, spices or veggies to it. Make it vegetarian by using veggie cubes instead of chicken. The rice turns out perfectly fluffy and delicious. The aroma that fills your house while it's baking is wonderful and it's hard to wait until it's done to sneak a taste. As it bakes the bay leaves will rise to the top so they can be easily 'fished' out of the casserole before serving. I like to top the finished rice with freshly chopped cilantro and a twist of black pepper. For a nice crunch you can add chopped water chestnuts.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 cup brown rice , uncooked
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (or butter)
• 2 ½ cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• fresh cilantro (optional) or fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Heat heavy skillet (I use cast iron) until hot. Add oil and then add uncooked brown rice.
3. Stir rice in oil until golden brown, stirring constantly. (some grains will be golden while other grains will look darker).
4. In the meantime heat water and add bay leaves, bouillon cubes, poultry seasoning, black pepper, minced onion flakes, parsley, oregano, basil and pepper flakes.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. When rice is golden and ready, pour rice into a covered 2 quart casserole dish.
7. Add the boiling liquid on top of the rice. CAREFUL! IT WILL SPUTTER.
8. Cover casserole with aluminum foil AND the cover for the casserole dish (to make sure steam does not escape from the rice).
9. Bake for 1 hour.
10. Remove from oven and let sit covered (DON'T PEEK!) for 15 minutes.
11. Fluff with fork before serving.

Reviews

[Reggie's Mom]

This was my first time cooking and eating brown rice and I think this is a good recipe for people who don't like plain rice. It is full of flavour and the texture was perfect using the measurements given here. The only thing I will change next time will be to cut back a little on all the seasonings as I found all the seasonings were a bit over powering. But overall this is a great recipe and I really like that once you put it all together you can just pop it in the oven and forget about it!

[Stefanie828]

I love brown rice and I like finding new ways to cook it and add a different flavor to it. After baking for well over an hour, there were still quite a few uncooked rice bits and the flavor was not right. I might try this again with changing the spices around.

[eatsunshine]

I'll never look at brown rice the same way again! I loves this recipe! I will definitely do it again with a few simple changes. My preschoolers have to eat it so I will eliminate the red pepper and add a bit more of salt for DH. Thanks a bunch!