Do you like the taste of boxed Rice-a-Roni but have been looking for a healthier alternative?  Do you dislike boxed Rice-a-Roni but would still love a delicious and versatile side dish?  Whichever camp you’re in, you’re going to love this homemade Rice a Roni recipe! Naturally gluten free and can easily be made vegetarian and vegan.
I grew up with a very health-conscious mom who made every effort to keep us healthy. That included cooking healthy meals from scratch, avoiding processed foods, and only on rare occasions pulling out the boxed stuff. Among those boxed items that made rare appearances was Rice-a-Roni. But as rare as those occasions were, I remember that Rice-a-Roni well because for pre-prepared packaged stuff it tastes good! It’s been ages since I’ve had the boxed stuff because I’ve been making my own variation of homemade Rice-a-Roni for years and not only is it much healthier, it tastes even better! It’s simple, makes a versatile side dish, and is oh so good!
Feel free to change things up to your taste: for example, you can use pecans or pine nuts instead of walnuts, beef broth for beef rice a roni, vegetable broth for vegetable rice a roni, or different herbs or seasonings of your choice. You can even add veggies and some diced or ground meat or chicken for a complete meal.
What is Rice a Roni?
If you’ve never heard of it before you may be scratching your head. Rice-a-Roni is a brand of boxed food that contains of rice, vermicelli pasta, and seasonings. It is similar to rice pilaf and is made easy and convenient. You brown the rice and pasta in butter, add water and the seasonings packet, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. First introduced in the United States in 1958 and branded as “The San Francisco Treat”, it’s a quick and versatile side dish.
What to Serve with Rice a Roni
Rice a Roni is a versatile side dish that pairs with a wide variety of main dishes and sides. Here are just a few ideas of mains and other sides to pair with it:
- Beef, Pork, Lamb or Seafood Dishes – like our Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Braised Lamb Shanks, Italian Pork Ribs, Osso Buco, Braciole, Senfbraten (German Roast Pork), or Porchetta.
- Chicken Dishes – like our Smothered Chicken, Hasselback Chicken, Chicken Marsala, Coq Au Vin, Chicken Piccata, Chicken Paprikash, Slow Cooker Greek Chicken, or Chicken Wellington.
- Grilled, Roasted or Steamed Vegetables – like our Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction, Grilled Eggplant, Green Beans Almondine, Roasted Spiralized Beets, Creamed Spinach, Baked Endives with Ham and Bechamel, or Chilled Asparagus with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette.
- Salads – like a leafy green salad, Broccoli Salad, Creamy Cucumber Salad, Pea Salad, German Tomato Salad, Bohnensalat (German Green Bean Salad), Greek Grilled Asparagus Salad, Creamy Coleslaw, Steak Salad with Spinach and Roasted Butternut Squash, or a refreshing Waldorf Salad.
Homemade Rice a Roni Recipe
Let’s get started!
We’re going to use long-grain rice (either white or brown) which is important for the consistency and orzo. I like the shape and aesthetics orzo but you can also use broken up vermicelli or spaghetti.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet and add the rice, orzo and chopped walnuts.
Saute until roughly half of the rice and orzo is browned.
Add the onion and saute for another 2 minutes.
Add the broth, herbs, salt and pepper.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer as you would normally cook rice, 15-20 minutes (longer if you’re using brown rice), or until done.
Fluff with a fork and serve.
Enjoy!
Homemade Rice a Roni
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white long-grain rice
- 1/2 cup orzo , or broken up vermicelli or spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion , finely chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
- 3 cups chicken broth (can also use beef broth or vegetable broth)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice, orzo and nuts and saute, stirring frequently, until roughly half of the rice and orzo is browned. Add the onion and cook for another two minutes. Add the chicken broth, salt and herbs and stir to combine.Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook as you would normally cook rice, about 15-20 minutes for white rice (longer if using brown rice) or until the rice is done.Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 21, 2013
Mr. Bond says
Conducted everything according to the recipe, but I did use a Texmati rice in lieu of other types and that rice came out undercooked. It was like eating little bullets. I’ll have to try a different rice next time, but this batch was tossed into the can.
Mr. Bond says
You’ll also see the five stars, because I was unable to properly adjust the rating.
BJ says
I had added a comment about browning the pasta separerà and then adding it to the rice because of the cooking discrepancy, which works great. I also remembered that I use pine nuts instead, because my husband does not like walnuts or pecans. But it is a great substitution. Also I make a large batch, cool it and then freeze it in freezer bags in a serving size. It works perfectly.
BJ says
I have browned my separately and added it…works fine that way. I have also used broken thin spaghetti or the pre-Broken thin spaghetti if I want a more even or messy look. But I always brown them separately. Sometimes with a little extra warmed broth if necessary.
Megan says
I really liked the flavor of this rice. I had trouble though because the orzo was overcooked by the time the brown rice was done. Any suggestions how to have them cook more evenly?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Megan, the only way to would be to add the orzo later but then you won’t be able to brown it, resulting in some flavor loss.
Clair says
Hi there! This looks amazing, I’d love to make this. How big are the servings? I see if makes 4 servings, but I would probably like to make extra for leftovers. Thank you so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Clair, it makes about 4 cups of rice-a-roni, so about a cup each. Or you can serve smaller portions and feed 6 people.
Kirsty rogers says
Do you have the recipe for herb and butter rice? I’m quite new to cooking but I love reading your different recipes, they have helped a lot.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m sorry, I don’t, Kirsty. But I’m glad you’ve found my other recipes helpful, thank you.
Kirsty rogers says
Hi, in the photo when you have added the herbs, salt and pepper, what is the yellowish powder? I had rice a roni whilst on holiday in Florida and now back home in the uk I find that I want to try to make it myself, but I like the butter and herb flavour rice.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kirsty, I had to try hard and remember what that was :) That’s chicken bouillon powder for the chicken broth.
Kirsty rogers says
So if I was to make butter and herb rice, I wouldn’t need that? Would I need an alternative?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, you’ll still need broth. You can use either chicken or vegetable broth and unless you’re vegetarian I recommend chicken because it has a stronger flavor.
Rusty Brown says
“…stirring frequently, until half of the rice and orzo is browned…” (?)
How can you brown ½ of the rice and orzo without browning the other ½ at the same time? I don’t get it, to be honest. But I like the recipe. Easy and tasty the way I made it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Rusty, thank you! Rice and orzo, when sauteed, generally don’t brown evenly – some tend to brown more quickly than others. So the point here is not to over-brown but to stop once roughly half of them have turned color.
Lorraine says
This showed up on the gluten free list, but orzo is a pasta, and NOT GF! Keep on being daring, I’ve learned so much from you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Lorraine! Yeah, there are some glitches in the search engine software – sometimes we get some especially really weird ones ;)
Jeanne says
Sorry the rating didn’t show up and I wanted to make sure you received it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Jeanne!
Jeanne says
Made this tonight and it was very good. I did it with beef and it seemed to be missing something. I have some about 1/2 of it left so I will try adding something else and let you know. Thought would try steak sauce as I had strip of steak mixed in with it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jeanne, thanks for the feedback! Yes, let us know what adjustments you make. What I will say is that chicken broth has a stronger flavor than beef broth so that may be part of it. I remember reading something by America’s Test Kitchen a while ago where they in so many words say that they rarely use beef broth for anything but use chicken instead because it’s much more flavorful. For example, I thought it was interesting that in their version of French onion soup they use chicken broth instead of beef broth for that very reason. I still use beef broth regularly but this reminded me of that.
Terri says
Hi, I had to add an extra cup of broth to this rice recipe as the broth evaporated before the brown rice was fully cooked. It was delicious, thanks for the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Terri, thanks for the feedback and so glad you enjoyed it!
tessadomesticdiva says
I have a fun time sorting through your recipes1 I found you on a google search for rice a roni, I really enjoyed this recipe! Rice a roni was a childhood favorite of mine. I am your newest follower…we seems to like a lot of the same foods!
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi, Tessa, and welcome! I’m so thrilled you found my site and already tried one of my recipes! So happy to have you on board!
GrammarDiva says
Could you add ground beef for a main dish? I personally would not, but my husband loves Rice-A-Roni with ground beef ’cause his mama made it for him. (YECH). This looks really good. Thanks!
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi GrammarDiva! You bet! And you’re such a good wife to accommodate your husbands requests :)