Baked Rice With White Beans, Leeks and Lemon

Name: Baked Rice With White Beans, Leeks and Lemon
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: greek
Ingredients: 4 leeks (about 2 pounds), trimmed, white and pale green parts sliced 1/4-inch thick; 1 lemon; 1/4 cup raw almonds; 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes; 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and black pepper; 1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice; 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (such as cannellini or great Northern), rinsed; 2 1/2 cups boiling water; 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving; 1/4 cup thinly sliced or chopped basil, chives, mint or fennel fronds, plus more for serving

By Ali Slagle

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(5,323)
Comments: Read comments

Baking is a fail-safe, hands-off method for making perfect rice every time. Add roasted leeks, lemon peel, almonds and white beans, and it becomes a company-worthy vegetarian dinner inspired by prasorizo, the classic Greek rice-and-leek dish. Finished with Parmesan and fresh herbs, it's an excellent one-pan meal, but it would also be great served alongside grilled fish, shrimp or chicken. If you like, you can make it even more filling by adding other vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini or broccoli florets with the leeks and almonds, or stir in spinach, arugula or sliced snap peas after it comes out of the oven in Step 4. Omit the Parmesan and it’s vegan, too.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

4leeks (about 2 pounds), trimmed, white and pale green parts sliced ¼-inch thick
1lemon
¼cup raw almonds
½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1½cups uncooked basmati rice
1(15-ounce) can white beans (such as cannellini or great Northern), rinsed
2½cups boiling water
½cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
¼cup thinly sliced or chopped basil, chives, mint or fennel fronds, plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the leeks until they’re clean, then shake or pat dry. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 1-inch-thick strips of lemon zest, then cut the lemon in half. Cut one half into four wedges and reserve the other half.
Step 2
In a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, combine the leeks, lemon zest strips, almonds, red-pepper flakes and olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, and arrange in an even layer. Roast until the leeks start to caramelize, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Finely chop the lemon zest strips, then stir it back into the leek mixture and arrange in an even layer. Sprinkle the rice evenly over the leeks, then top with the beans and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the boiling water, then seal the pan tightly with foil. Bake until the rice is tender, 20 to 22 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from the oven, and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Squeeze the lemon half over the rice, then stir in Parmesan and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges, and more Parmesan and herbs, as desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5

5,323 user ratings

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Comments

Hopsing6 years ago

This was really good! I didn't have leeks so I used a sweet onion. I only had brown basmati so added a little more water (1/2 cup) and cooking time (25 min then let it sit covered for 10 minutes). My herbs were basil and oregano as that is what I had fresh from the garden and it was really good! Great alone, as stated, or as a side dish. I otherwise followed the recipe and I will make it again.

Karr Bergmann6 years ago

The one thing I would suggest for everyone using this recipe would be to use some sort of stock (I used half vegetable/half chicken) in place of the plain boiling water. I also doubled the amount of almonds and used brown jasmine rice in place of white. The cooking time after adding the rice was more like 70 minutes or so when using brown rice. This added cooking time allowed the leeks to develop a deeper flavor and also served to soften the almonds a bit more.

Andrew Robinson5 years ago

I have made this twice and it is easy and simply fantastic! Both times I cooked it in a single pot using a 12" cast iron skillet. Saute the leeks until soft. Add the lemon zest and rice and toss for a minute. No need to boil the water first, just add it to the hot skillet and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the beans over the top, cover with lid or foil and into the oven. This dish is now a 25-30 minute meal. Used cannellini once. Pinto the second time. I think about doubling the beans.

Geek Chorus2 months ago

Great recipe. I used brown basmati rice, so it took an hour to cook. I used 3 cups of water, not 2.5. And I added 5 large mushrooms. Next time I think I'll add either some capers or some sliced pitted olives for a bit more zing.

pnwsnackqueen2 months ago

I’ve made this recipe twice - I LOVE it with my adaptations. No almonds, instead I use a drained jar of marinated artichokes from TJ’s. I cooked the leeks in the olive oil on the stove until they caramelized, for speed. I also didn’t do the slices of lemon zest. I just zested a whole lemon and added it in right before popping the rice in the oven.

Penny B3 months ago

I saw a copy of this in a cookbook, but with 2 cans beans, and 2 cans of chopped artichokes - very delicious! It took longer to cook than suggested here, but was delicious when finished.

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