How to Make Rice Pilaf Fast & Easy

Rice Pilaf sounds fancy but is so simple when you know the basic combo. Rice Pilaf is a rice dish that always begins by browning the rice in butter or oil before cooking it in stock. Pilafs can be seasoned to taste and can contain other ingredients such as chopped vegetables, meats, seafood or/or poultry. Pilaf can be served as a side dish or main dish. Be creative and be surprised at how good this can be!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 medium onion, fine dice
• 1/2 cup chopped green and red pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth or water
• 16 0z peas, corn, and/or beans (drained) optional

1. Melt butter over medium to medium-high heat in the pot you are going to use for cooking your rice. The pot should be heavy with a tight fitting lid.
2. Add the rice and sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often and watching how brown it is getting - it should be golden brown. When you add the rice, you can also add 1/2 cup of angel hair pasta, broken into 1/2 inch or smaller pieces or any other pasta that can be broken into pieces close to the size of the rice. The pasta will get browner than the rice.
3. Add whatever vegetables you choose and stir them in a bit at a time, watching out for steam rising from the rice and pasta. If adding onions and peppers, add first and let soften a bit - then add the rest of the vegetables.
4. If you are not adding onions, peppers or vegetables, pour the liquid in a little at a time at first to avoid being scalded by the steam. Add any seasonings at this time.
5. Bring the liquid to a nice boil, stirring constantly.
6. Once the rice is boiling, reduce the heat and cover. Let the rice simmer for 15 minutes.
7. After 15 minutes, turn off the burner and let the pot sit on top of it for another 10 minutes without lifting the lid at all. The rice will stay nicely hot for at least a half hour so you can finish off the rest of the meal.

Tips & Warnings

• I often use Ramen noodles in my homemade chicken soup. Those little spice and herb packets are perfect for flavoring rice dishes.
• Instead of water in my Ramen noodles, I use homemade chicken broth.
• If using water, reduce the water volume by 1/2 cup and add cream of mushroom, celery or chicken soup for a rich and creamy side dish.
• Cube up 1 cup or more of leftover meat of just about any kind and veggies - then add to the browned rice for a delicious main dish. Finish cooking just as you would the regular pilaf recipe.
• When adding the liquid or vegetables to the browned rice and pasta, wear oven mitts or keep hands and wrists from over top of the pot because the steam could be very hot and sudden.