Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Cheesy Herb Rice Casserole



Rice, *sigh*

Have I told you I live with a family of rice lovers? Have I told you grumblings have been heard around my house, such as, "Oh, pasta again?". "Why don't you EVER make rice?"

It was either this or a total revolt.

This was easier! To be honest, I was surprised how wonderful this rice dish turned out. The flavors were so fresh, it was way more than I ever expected from rice.







This was adapted from a rice casserole dish I saw the Neely's prepare using spinach. I'm the only one that likes spinach, so I had to adapt this to make the troops happy.



2 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish
1 small onion, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for top
2 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a large casserole dish.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions with 2 tablespoons of butter and cayenne until translucent.

While the onions are sauteing, whisk together milk and eggs.

Add the cheese, rice, parsley, thyme, basil and chives and combine well. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and serve piping hot.



This is mine, get your own!





48 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi Katherine! I am stopping by from SITS to say hello :-) You have a wonderful blog and that looks delicious! have a great one :-)

Christo Gonzales said...

doesnt that just crack you up in a wierd way when you make something so much but your audience says you 'never' make it....this casserole looks and sounds great!

Debbie said...

Yum! We are a rice family as well. But pasta too. Pretty much we will eat any carb that doesn't eat us first.

MsTypo said...

In this house we like our carbs any way we can get 'em! :p

Donna-FFW said...

Looks delicious Katherine! How nice that everyone in your home likes something that is the same. I usually end up making 2 or 3 diff sides to suit their tastes. Yes, I am a dummy.

Debbie said...

We all love rice also, especially my youngest son. He would be very content with just a large bowl of rice for dinner. Your rice looks so flavorful. I will have to try this. I also watch the Neely's and so does my husband. Food network is just as addicting as food blogging!!!!

Cathy said...

I would choose rice hands down over pasta or potatoes any day. This looks great - although I would add the spinach too.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Katherine, I'm lucky. My guys are happy with rice and pasta and as long as they have one or the other life is good. I really like your rice casserole. I'll try it very soon.

Selba said...

It really looks so delicious! I wish I can have a plate of it :)

Netts Nook said...

Looks tasty I love all the flavor load me up a plate.

B said...

we're rice lovers at our place too! I'm going to have to try this and see what we think about it.

Chef E said...

I always felt that anything that involved cheese...who notices the other ingredients :) Rice is on my menu a lot since I am 'trying' to go totally gluten free...

gigi said...

As long as you put cheese on it I'll try it. But the flavors here must really put it over the top!

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

I'm a rice person too-so I know exactly how your family feels :)This looks great!!

Maria said...

I am usually not into casseroles, but this one looks good.

buffalodick said...

Around these parts, when people want to swear but know they shouldn't- they yell "Cheese and Rice!" instead of Jebus Christ....We like rice in this house too! Cheese, chicken, broccoli, and brown rice is the cassserole of choice!

Marjie said...

Cheese makes it work! How could they not like cheese? Who cares what's under it?

Dewi said...

Rice casserole is totally foreign to me, sounds so delicious.

Pam said...

Look at that cheesy goodness - yum.

Heather S-G said...

Delicious creation...a meal in itself, I'd say. YUM!

Claudia said...

This looks delicious. I made your last rice dish and I will definitely make this one. We are also a family of rice lovers!

Greg C said...

I wasn't sure if it would hold together ok but from the photo it did. It sounds great.

teresa said...

Rice is sometimes the only thing my kids will eat, so thank you! This looks so delicious!

Pearl said...

my family loves rice, too, so thanks for sharing this!

Kathy said...

This looks delicious! Can't wait to try!

The Blonde Duck said...

I love rice and pasta. I'm an equal oppertunity carb liker...

pigpigscorner said...

I love cheese baked rice! Looks so yummy! Rice is a staple for me and I love it!

lk- Healthy Delicious said...

you had me at cheesy.
its funny, I've actually been thinkign a lot lately about ow hardly ever eat rice!

theUngourmet said...

This looks delicious with the sharp cheddar!

Rice is a nice change from pasta or potatoes. Thanks for the great recipe!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

All good things in this. Know it would be a hit in our kitchen. Thanks for this terrific idea.
Sam

Chris said...

I love your side dishes! I can think of several dishes that this would compliment well but right now, I could eat a huge bowl just for dinner

Katy ~ said...

I'm the only one here who eats rice, and I would most CERTAINLY enjoy this. Love all the herbs! Just delish!

Anonymous said...

This is just cheesy deliciousness!

I don't cook with rice enough, I'm putting this one down for my next meal!

Reeni said...

This makes a delicious side dish! The spinach in it sounds great too. I like your idea to bake it!

Kristen said...

how wonderfully tasty!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Now that is a dish of cheesy delight! My family will love it

Mmmmm!

XOOX
Jen

Marguerite said...

What Cajun doesn't love rice? lol This recipe looks fantastic! I love the herbs and cheese with the rice. Cest' bon, cher!

Bunny said...

Oh I have to make this! It looks so good!

Lyndas recipe box said...

Mmmm, rice and cheese; this is so delicious looking! We love both rice and pasta; actually we love carbs! Thanks for posting this.

Gladys said...

That looks too good for words. Oh how I miss rice and potatoes and pasta and well everything white.

Elyse said...

This casserole looks like comfort food to the max. DELICIOUS! I'm just loving the look of this dish, and I wish I could help myself to a big serving right this instant. Thanks for sharing this one!

Anonymous said...

yum, this rice casserole sounds excellent, love all the cheese on top! My husband and I like rice but my daughter really really loves it, even more than pasta!

Anonymous said...

I'm the opposite..not much of a lover of rice...I'll take pasta any day! but this does look pretty good, just because of all that yummy cheese!

Jennifer said...

OH MA god you know I am making this one! My two favorite foods, rice and cheese!

Sophie said...

I love rice, it's practically my daily go-to side but I like how you spiced it up, yum can't go wrong with cheese! I too love spinach, I've gotta try adding that some time too :).

lisaiscooking said...

I do like rice, but I like pasta too! Your casserole looks great. Love all the herbs!

Juliana said...

I love rice dishes...the one that you have looks great and very tasty with all the fresh herbs that you have in it. Yummie...by the way, thank you so much for visiting my site, love the support.

Julie said...

I love rice too, just about any way you can fix it up, and this looks amazing!