Convenient shortcuts and great taste highlight this veggie-packed recipe that’s destined to become a family favorite!
What started as a way to use the Minute rice my husband bought in place of long grain rice has become something of a sensation.
When I shared this recipe shortly after I began The Fountain Avenue Kitchen, I never dreamed it would be shared, Pinned, and cooked so often. Interestingly, at least once a week I get an email from someone telling me that this recipe and photo were posted on someone else’s blog with no credit to me.
Given that I am putting recipes out on the world wide web in the first place, I figure this is not something to get too upset about. Right or wrong, these things happen. Yet one kind woman who emailed me at least 20 links to pirated versions of this recipe finally sent me a watermarked version of my photo (see above) so that people would know it’s mine! Go figure, some determined souls find ways to remove the watermark…but I appreciate her thoughtful gesture nonetheless.
Simple to whip up with ingredients you have on hand, this side is a sure kid-pleaser that adults will enjoy as well. I employ one of my favorite kitchen tricks with this recipe: Any time I use frozen broccoli or spinach that needs to be thawed and drained well, I put it inside a tea towel and literally wring it out. You will be surprised by how much water is released, and getting rid of it will prevent your finished product from becoming soggy.
Vary the cheese or variety of rice, if you like, or bake in a casserole dish or jumbo muffins tins. Mini muffin versions make delightful appetizers. For my Better-For-You Ranch Dressing, click HERE.
- 1 cup quick-cooking rice, like Minute Rice (can substitute about 2 cups cooked white or brown rice and omit the 1 cup stock below)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 10-oz. box frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup Homemade Ranch Dressing, or store bought
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Prepare rice as directed on package, substituting stock for water.
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Place cooked rice in a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the remaining ingredients, using only 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and stir until combined.
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Transfer mixture to eight well-greased muffin cups–I like to use an ice cream scoop–and top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
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Bake for 25 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and edges are starting to get crispy.
More Fountain Avenue Kitchen Favorites…
Parmesan Crusted Potatoes — 3 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper
Apple Crisp Baked Oatmeal — healthy but so delicious and can be made in advance
Chicken in Milk — the most tender, juicy chicken ever…and it’s easy
Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies — quick and easy and packed with protein, too
Chicken Tortilla Soup — a family and reader favorite that makes plenty to freeze or enjoy later
Delish! These are one of our favorites. I made them again today.
So happy they are a go-to, Tina. Thank you for the rating!
This is one of our all time favorites! Just made them again tonight
So good!! Thank you. I added chopped kale and fresh sweet corn, as well as fresh broccoli and broth from my home cooked garbanzo beans. This recipe is amazing, so easy and very family friendly. Much gratitude to Fountain Avenue Kitchen.
Hi Valerie, I’m delighted you enjoyed the recipe and love the sound of your tweaks. Thank you for your thoughtful comment!
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I used Greek yogurt with some extra spices instead of ranch dressing and added mushrooms and zucchini. So good! And great as individual freezer meal/ snack. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks, Katie. They sound perfect!
How can I make this stick together without eggs? I tried using egg replacer and more cheese but the extra cheese made it oily and it fell apart.
I have not tried this recipe without the eggs, Stella, but I’ve heard that avocado sometimes works as an egg replacement/binder. You could try using 1/4 cup mashed avocado for each egg–so in this case, 1/2 cup. Again, I haven’t tried so can’t say for sure if it would bind as well as the eggs. If you try, I’d love to know how you make out!
Thanks for the idea! I will experiment with that.
Love your recipes. I have tried other recipes on face book and was disappointed, so now I go to your site when I want to try a new recipe. Years ago I would use Linda Collingwood’s Recipe Exchange as a source for new ideas and recipes. Although I still miss Recipe Exchange, you have filled that void.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Beth. I enjoyed reading Linda’s column, too, and often think it would be fun to bring back the Recipe Exchange!
FANTASTIC! Wowzers, I loved this dish, I had to tweak it because of food sensitivities, but it came out great!
Instead of ranch I used vegenaise, instead of egg, I did flax egg and instead of cheddar cheese, I used Daiya cheese (all dairy and soy free)
And vegetable broth instead of chicken broth (stock) and the other thing I changed was fresh broccoli instead of frozen.
Pretty close to what the recipe is, just added the dairy soy free options 🙂
Going to be doing this recipe again and again, and this could be changed a little each time to make it different, add corn, carrots, chicken, bacon, ham, cauliflower or any number of items (not all at once of course) 🙂
That’s great news, Tobius, and it’s amazing what great options there are for all the various food allergies and intolerances. Thanks for mentioning your substitutes!