Baked tomato rice with mozzarella (riso al forno)
Italian baked rice: raw rice, marinara and spinach go into one dish, bake until tender, then get a bubbling blanket of mozzarella, like lasagna made with rice.
- 75 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.82 a serving
- 380 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- ½ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 380 calories, 14 g protein, 51 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $1.82 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F. Heat the broth in a small over high heat until steaming.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
In a 9x13-inch baking dish, stir the rice, marinara, hot broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and oil until evenly mixed.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and 35 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 35 min
Dolly’s tip: Tight foil traps the steam that cooks the rice. Any gaps and the grains on top stay crunchy.Carefully uncover and stir in the spinach and half the parmesan. The rice should be almost tender and still a little saucy.
Dolly’s tip: Open the foil away from you. A cloud of steam comes out.Top with the mozzarella and the rest of the parmesan and uncovered 12 to 15 minutes, until bubbling and in spots.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 13 min
Let it 10 minutes so it firms up, then scatter the basil over and serve.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 10 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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