Oven Baked Vegetable Pilaff

Great for kids

This is a great recipe for using any leftover vegetables that you have in the fridge. If they have been cooked before they won’t need roasting in the oven, simply add them with the rice at step 3. The pilaff can be moulded into little balls, coated in egg and bread crumbs, shallow fried until golden brown and served with a crisp salad. You can make this a meat recipe by adding 8 boned chicken thighs. Pop them onto the rice, season, drizzle with a little olive oil, cover and cook in the oven at stage 2.


By Caroline Marson
Cookery advisor All recipes by Caroline Marson

Ingredients show imperial units

Serves 4

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • Salt
  • Ground black peppercorns
  • 250g mixed vegetables such as red or green peppers, cored and roughly chopped, carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, butternut squash, peeled and roughly chopped
  • A little chopped thyme
  • 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 75g grated hard cheese
  • A little chopped parsley
  • 200g long grain Rice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4. Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish and cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft and a little golden. Season with salt and pepper, add the peppers, carrots and butternut squash.
  2. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and tender. Remove from the oven and add the rice, chopped thyme and stock, bring to the boil and season to taste.
  3. Cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the grated cheese and chopped parsley just before serving.

Note: Rice safety

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating. Never leave cooked rice to cool on its own - always chill it quickly for example under running cold water. If cooked rice had been chilled or frozen ensure that it is thoroughly reheated and is piping hot throughout. Never keep rice chilled for longer than 1 day or frozen for longer than 1 month. Once cooked rice has been re-heated, throw away any leftovers. Never re-heat rice more than once.

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Comments on this recipe

  • Carla Jay

    Tried this last night with left over veg in the fridge. It was delicious and very filling. Have leftovers for lunch as well yippee!!

    Posted on 19 Jan 2008 at 10:31
  • Gina Jolliffe

    A really tasty and filling dish, and easy to prepare. I used swede instead of squash and brown basmati rice, it was just as good.

    Posted on 29 Feb 2008 at 10:46
  • Kelly Thomas

    Made this last night and the children really enjoyed it - added some broccoli which worked well - also have enough leftover to make another recipe.

    Posted on 22 Jun 2008 at 08:53
  • Lorraine Savy

    This recipe is divine.

    Posted on 09 Sep 2008 at 11:41
  • Larissa

    My whole family including 2 small children love this recipe. My husband is experimenting with different sorts of cheese - last time it was parmesan and tasted yummy! This dish is now a firm family favourite, so easy to make too. Unfortunately we never have any leftovers!

    Posted on 03 Feb 2009 at 04:13
  • Joanna Peart

    This is lovely and filing. I used sweet potato insted of the butternut squash. I also used goats cheese. There's enough for my lunch tomorrow. Yum!!

    Posted on 06 Mar 2009 at 21:14
  • Joanna Peart

    Yum!! Enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.

    Posted on 06 Mar 2009 at 21:16
  • john

    Heard of this but never knew what it fully was. i made it and all the family love it, now we have it about once a week

    Posted on 13 May 2009 at 19:47

Comments on this recipe