Baked rice and broccoli, an easy-to-prepare first course with a crispy surface and a cheesy heart. A really simple recipe that we can prepare either starting from the preparation of the classic broccoli cream risotto to make it tastier by placing it in a baking dish with cheese in the center to gratinate in the oven, or to reuse leftover rice or risotto and give it a new look to make it even more flavorful and inviting. This way, we recycle leftovers without wasting anything! With very few ingredients, we can prepare a broccoli cream risotto that, thanks to baking, will become even tastier and turn into a true one-dish meal!
The preparation is very simple: we blanch the broccoli and flavor them with oil, garlic, and chili pepper. We blend them into a cream. We prepare the risotto in the classic way and a few minutes before the end of cooking, we add the broccoli cream. We finish with butter and grated Parmesan. Butter and line a baking dish with breadcrumbs, pour in half of the rice and the cheese slices, then cover with the remaining risotto and smooth the surface well. Bake at 392 degrees Fahrenheit for just over 10 minutes until the surface is well gratinated.
Perfect for both lunch and dinner, this baked rice and broccoli is an easy, quick, and healthy idea to transform the classic risotto into an even more flavorful dish, even with just a few simple ingredients. Try it!
Also discover:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for preparing Baked Rice with Broccoli
- 10.5 oz brown rice (or Carnaroli rice)
- 1.1 lbs broccoli
- 7.05 oz cheese (in slices)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3 oz butter
- 2.5 oz grated Parmesan
- 1 clove garlic
- chili pepper
- breadcrumbs
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4.2 cups vegetable broth
Tools for preparing Baked Rice with Broccoli
- 2 Pots
- 2 Silicone Sheets
Steps for preparing Baked Rice with Broccoli
Prepare the baked rice and broccoli casserole by first cleaning the broccoli: remove the toughest part of the stem and divide it into florets. Boil them in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes and then drain them.
Pour oil into a pot and let the garlic clove and chili pepper, if used, sauté.
Add the broccoli, keeping some aside for garnish, and let them cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
Remove the garlic, pour a ladle of hot broth, and blend the broccoli with an immersion blender. Adjust the salt.
In a fairly large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of oil and add 20 g of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes.
Increase the heat, pour in the wine, and let it evaporate.
Continue cooking the rice until it is al dente, gradually adding the necessary boiling broth and stirring constantly. A few minutes before the end of cooking, add the blended broccoli, stir, and season with salt.
Off the heat, finish with the remaining butter and grated Parmesan.
Butter and sprinkle breadcrumbs on a baking dish and pour half of the broccoli risotto, pressing well with the back of a spoon.
Place the cheese slices and complete with the remaining risotto.
Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for 10 minutes until the surface is well gratinated and the cheese is thoroughly melted. Remove from the oven and serve the baked rice and broccoli casserole garnished with the reserved broccoli.
Simo and Cicci Recommend
You can store this casserole in the fridge for a couple of days and reheat it in the oven or pan. You can also prepare it in advance and keep it in the fridge until baking time. Alternatively, you can freeze it.
We used brown rice, but you can alternatively use risotto rice like Carnaroli or Arborio.
As for cheese, you can use alternatively smoked scamorza or provola, mozzarella, Emmental, or another type of cheese that becomes stretchy when cooked.
You can also make single-serving casseroles.
