This brown rice pilaf recipe is one of the easiest sides you can make to go with dinner. A pilaf is simply rice that has be sauteed in oil to give it a beautiful golden color, and then cooked in a seasoned broth.
It can be made with white or brown rice, or even with wild rice, which really isn’t even rice at all but it still works.
And since rice is naturally gluten free, it can be a part of most diets around today. Except the low carb diets. Low carb diets make me sad. I love me some carbs, so I could never do one of those.
Rice pilaf is known for its aromatics, and this one is no exception. This amazingly fragrant brown rice pilaf begins with garlic and onions and ends with crumbles of homemade Feta cheese.
Using homemade instant rice makes it come together in a snap.
And using your homemade bone broth ups the nutritional content and adds some amazing flavor to the dish. Easy, fast and healthy.
That’s a win-win-win!
It’s a nice change from the usual plain rice, and you can dress it up anyway you want to go with whatever else you are fixing.
Give it a Mexican flair with chili powder and cilantro.
Or a Moroccan vibe with coriander and cinnamon.
Or even Italian with rosemary, oregano, and diced tomatoes.
The sky’s the limit here. Cooking is all about creativity, so go for it!
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Brown Rice Pilaf with Preserved Lemons and Feta Cheese
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp homemade ghee or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp course ground black pepper
- 3 cups homemade instant brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups homemade chicken bone broth
- 1/4 cup chopped Preserved Lemons
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup crumbled homemade Feta cheese
If you are making this with instant rice you purchased, you need to adjust the amount of rice to go with 2 1/2 cups of broth according to the directions on the box.
OK, here’s how to make Brown Rice Pilaf.
Over medium heat, melt the ghee or oil in a deep skillet with a tight fitting lid. Test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a piece of onion. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
Once the oil is at the right temperature, throw in the onion and garlic. Saute them until the onion is translucent. Make sure you stir those guys frequently so they don’t burn.
Is there anything that smells better than onions and garlic frying?
Well. Bacon frying does. But other than bacon, I can’t think of anything that smells better than onions and garlic. 🙂
Once the onions are translucent, add in the rice and saute that while stirring constantly.
What we want to do here is basically toast the rice until it’s a light golden brown and smells kinda nutty.
That smells good, too. But still not as good as bacon…
Now throw the thyme and black pepper into the skillet and keep stirring. Cook that for about 30 seconds. If you want an even stronger herb flavor, you can add them in before the rice.
It’s time to pour in the chicken broth. Give it another good stir so it’s well combined, and bring it all to a boil.
After the rice and broth mixture has come to a boil, cover the skillet tightly and remove it from the heat.
Let the pilaf sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on. After 10 minutes remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
To “fluff”, stick the fork down to the bottom of the pan and lift straight up. If you stir cooked rice too much, it will become gummy. And ain’t nobody got time for that!
Now gently stir in the Preserved Lemons and the parsley and put your rice pilaf in a fancy serving dish. Cuz it’s a fancy pants kinda side! 🙂
Sprinkle the crumbled homemade Feta cheese over the top and serve.
Prepare to be amazed and bask in the praises of your family for bringing them a new favorite side dish!
Blessings!
Brown Rice Pilaf with Preserved Lemons and Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 med onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp course grind black pepper
- 3 cups instant brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped Preserved Lemons
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup crumbled homemade Feta Cheese
Instructions
- Heat ghee or oil in large saucepan or deep skillet with a tight fitting lid.
- Saute onion and garlic till onion is translucent.
- Add rice and saute, stirring constantly until rice is lightly browned and smells nutty.
- Add thyme and black pepper and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pan and remove from heat.
- Let sit for 10 minutes without removing lid.
- After 10 minutes remove lid and fluff with fork.
- Mix in the chopped Preserved Lemons and the parsley.
- Place in serving dish and sprinkle with Feta crumbles.
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