Crispy and cheesy baked rice is a very simple but truly delicious main dish. Perfect when it’s cold outside, steaming hot with a very tasty filling, you can also prepare it in advance and then gratin it at the last moment to make the surface crust very crunchy and fragrant and the filling melty. I used scamorza inside, but you can choose stracchino, provola, mozzarella, latteria, or mozzarella. You can add peas to make the dish even more beautiful and rich. You can opt for ragù rice instead of mozzarella rice, resulting in a dish that can’t be more delicious.
If you like rice recipes, here are a few to try!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for Baked Cheesy Rice
- 1 1/2 cups Rice
- 1 onion
- 2 1/2 cups Tomato sauce
- 3 1/2 oz White wine
- 2 cups Vegetable broth
- 3 tbsps Butter
- 7 oz Mozzarella for pizza
- 2 tbsps Breadcrumbs
- 6 tbsps Parmesan cheese (grated)
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Salt
- 1 oz butter
Tools for Preparing Baked Cheesy Rice
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- 1 Casserole
- 1 Baking Dish
Steps for Preparing Baked Cheesy Rice
Slice the onion and sauté it with a drizzle of oil. Add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes. Deglaze with the white wine. Add the tomato sauce and cook it by adding the broth little by little.
Stop the cooking when the rice is still nicely al dente. Add the butter, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan, adjust the salt, and mix well.
Cut the cheese into pieces. We can use mozzarella for pizza or any stringy cheese we prefer or have in the fridge.
Butter a baking dish. Alternate thin layers of rice with cheese cubes. Make multiple layers. Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Cover the rice, top with butter dollops. Bake at 390°F for about 20 minutes. Serve hot!
Storage
You can store the rice before gratin in the fridge for 24 hours.
