I love Arborio rice, but I often lack the time to make it into a proper risotto. (My youngest child can’t eat rice, so I only make it when my child is eating elsewhere.) When I’m in a hurry (when am I not in a hurry?), I bake Arborio rice in the oven. Its texture becomes closer to grits than rice, but baking it infuses the thyme flavor throughout the rice. The tamari adds a background salty note that enhances the strong flavor of thyme.
Rinse the rice and combine it with olive oil, salt, tamari, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a lot of water or broth in a small baking dish. Pop it into a 325 degree oven for one hour. I grate dairy-free cheese over the top before serving this simple and delicious dish.
Baked Arborio Rice with Tamari and Fresh Thyme
Baking Arborio rice with fresh thyme infuses the rice with the strong flavor of thyme.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio rice, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon tamari
- 3.5 cups filtered water or broth
- 8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine rice, olive oil, salt and tamari in a small baking dish.
Slowly stir in the water or broth.
Stir in the thyme sprigs.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and grate dairy-free parmesan cheese over the top.
Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, and serve.
Notes
Note: You may want to remove the thyme sprigs before serving. They float to the top, so are easy to remove. They're perfectly edible, but have a thready texture not to everyone's liking. You can make this dish with regular white rice. Halve the water and the cooking time.
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, tamari and rinsed Arborio rice are the basis of this baked rice dish.
Pour the rice in a baking dish, add chicken broth, salt, olive oil and tamari, then stir in a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Bake for 1 hour in a 325 degree F oven.
The finished dish has the texture of grits infused with thyme. Grate non-dairy Parmesan cheese and sprinkle a few fresh thyme leaves on top before serving.
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