Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to make a few real meals for dinner throughout the week, instead of relying on bits of cheese, sausage, lunch meat, hard-boiled eggs, olives, pickles, vegetables, potato chips, or crackers like most nights. Sadly, since I often don’t arrive home till after seven o’clock in the evening and then spend an hour or two doing chores, exercising, or running errands, a complicated and time-consuming meal is not always practical.
So, a few weeks ago, I decided to see how much time it would take to make rice pilaf for dinner, just so I would know if it was a practical weeknight recipe to make. And guess what? It totally is. Not only did I make this flavorful side dish in less than 30 minutes, but I also grilled pork chops at the same time. And, since there are also frozen peas in this rice pilaf, it totally saved me from feeling like I needed to make a second vegetable side dish. Now that’s what I call a busy weeknight super-win-win.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Jasmine Rice
- 1/2 Cup Orzo Pasta
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 2 Cups Frozen Sweet Baby Peas
- 6 Teaspoons Dried Chives
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fine Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over high heat.
- When the butter is melted, add the rice and pasta and cook until the pasta is nicely browned, stirring constantly. This should only take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, peas, chives, salt, and pepper; bring to a rolling boil.
- Cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook for 15 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Allow the rice pilaf to rest for 5 minutes before uncovering and fluffing the rice pilaf with a fork or spoon.
Suggestions:
- You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. I used salted. If you use unsalted, you may need to add more salt before serving.
- Wrap a clean dish towel over the lid to prevent any condensation from falling back down into the rice while it cooks. Lay a clean dish towel out on your counter, place the lid on top of the towel, and then gather the ends and sides of the towel up over the lid. Use a rubber band, binder clip, or zip tie to keep the ends and sides together.
Improvements:
- Add a clove or two of minced garlic to the rice pilaf.
- Replace the dried chives with fresh chives if you have them on hand. You will only need to use about half the amount of chives if using fresh.
- Serve this rice pilaf with these Paprika & Oregano Marinated Pork Chops.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Jasmine Rice
- 1/2 Cup Orzo Pasta
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 2 Cups Frozen Sweet Baby Peas
- 6 Teaspoons Dried Chives
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fine Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or cast-iron saucepan over high heat.
- When the butter is melted, add the rice and pasta and cook until the pasta is nicely browned, stirring constantly. This should only take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, peas, chives, salt, and pepper; bring to a rolling boil.
- Cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook for 15 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Allow the rice pilaf to rest for 5 minutes before uncovering and fluffing the rice pilaf with a fork or spoon.
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