Almond Rice Pilaf
Almond Rice Pilaf is fluffy, flavorful and a delicious way to upgrade your next pot of rice! It's a special family recipe that everyone will love, and it cooks up in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter substitute with oil for dairy free
- 1/3 cup broken vermicelli or orzo pasta thin spaghetti also works in a pinch!
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup long grain white rice do not use quick cooking or brown rice
- 2 1/4 cups water or chicken stock for more flavor
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt if not using kosher salt, use 1/2 teaspoon and adjust the seasoning as necessary when fluffing the rice with a fork.
Instructions
- Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the vermicelli or orzo and sliced almonds, and stir until coated with the butter. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and almonds are brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and cook one minute longer.
- Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid for a least 15 minutes to check for doneness. When done, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to steam.
- Fluff with a fork and add seasoning as necessary. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Be sure to use regular long grain white rice in this recipe as short grain rice is too sticky, and quick cooking rice and brown rice have different cooking times than the pasta.
- It's essential to give the rice 10 minutes of resting time with the lid on when it's done cooking. This steams the rice and gives it the perfect fluffy texture.
- I've tested this recipe using vermicelli, orzo, thin spaghetti and angel hair pasta, and all have worked fine.
- Either butter or oil works well in this recipe, but butter adds more flavor. If you decide to use oil, adding chicken or vegetable stock instead of water is a great way to add more flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 314mg, Potassium: 136mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 175IU, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
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