Pilaf

Rice Pilaf is about to become your holiday worthy, favorite easy, side dish that that goes with practically everything! Rice Pilaf is one of my favorite side dishes EVER! It’s a delectable one-pot wonder boasting fluffy, toasted rice and orzo cooked with onions and celery in herb infused chicken stock - on your table in less than 30 minutes! It’s wonderfully flavorful, simple, and 1000X times better than the boxed variety. This Rice Pilaf recipe is also extremely versatile - customize it to your tastes or cuisine with different seasonings or add-ins such as peas, carrots, raisins, almonds, etc. No matter how you mix it up, this no-fail Rice Pilaf recipe is guaranteed to become one of YOUR favorite recipes!

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice thoroughly rinsed

4 cloves garlic finely minced

3 2/3 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, salt

1/4 tsp EACH dried thyme, pepper

1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

Melt butter in olive oil in a nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add orzo, onions and celery; sauté 3 minutes stirring often.

Add rice and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until orzo is deeply golden and onions are softened. Add garlic and stir for one minute. Add chicken broth, bay leaf and all seasonings.

Cover and increase temperature to high. As soon as rice is simmering, reduce to LOW and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, replace lid and cook an additional 5-8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. If the liquid absorbs before the rice is al dente, add up to 1/4 cup additional liquid.

Add peas to pot, and fluff to combine with a fork. Replace the lid, and let the rice sit for 10 more minutes.

Remove lid, add almonds and fluff with a fork to distribute. Add salt to taste, as needed. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.