Seasoned White Rice
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Seasoned White Rice —super easy recipe for adding tons of flavor to boring white rice using pantry ingredients.
Rice is a meal staple for many families for so many reasons. For starters, it fills the belly making lean meals more substantial; inexpensive, stretching the budget when needed; and it’s pretty tasty without a lot of extra work. But it can get boring eating plain white rice.
How do you make plain white rice less bland?
One of the way you can make white rice less bland is by using stock base. Stock base is the most frequently used pantry ingredient in my kitchen. I favor bases because they provide concentrated flavor in small doses. A teaspoon or two of a really good base can intensify the flavor of an entire recipe without adding additional seasonings. Hence this wonderful 3 ingredient recipe.
What flavor stock bases are best to season white rice?
Literally any stock base will improve the taste of plain rice. In this recipe I’m using vegetable base but I’ve made with chicken base as well. I have used different base in all of my rice recipes but intend to favor chicken, and vegetable. Ham base is another great flavor enhancer for white rice and there is a strong case for beef stock as well. I haven’t tried beef stock personally but this Beefy Onion Rice recipe looks very promising.
Try one of my other rice recipes using stock base:
Spanish Rice– I use chicken stock base to intensify the flavor of this dish.
Healthy Hoppin John– This recipe uses ham stock base that provides a smoky flavor.
How to prepare this better than store-bought seasoned white rice:
This recipe could not be more simple. It’s literally three ingredients: rice, oil, and base. To prepare it, start by heating adding butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Next, add a crumbled bouillon cube or base followed by the dry rice.
Stir the ingredients together to coat the rice like you would for pilaf. Add water and simmer according to the rice packaging. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste if desired and sprinkle with a little dried parsley for some color.
Love rice? Check out more of my rice recipes!
Puerto Rican Chicken & Sofrito Yellow Rice
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***This recipe was updated on 1/23/2020 and again on 5/21/2020 for added content only. It was first published on 1/24/2019.***
Seasoned White Rice
Ingredients
- 1 c long grain rice like jasmine
- 1 3/4 c water
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cube vegetable or chicken bouillon
- salt+pepper to taste
- parsley flakes optional
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add butter, oil, and bouillon cube to a skillet or pan. Whisk to dissolve the cube then add the rice. Coat the rice with the oil mixture and add the water.
- Bring to a bubbly boil then drop the heat to low. Allow the rice to absorb the water according to your rice package directions. You may use quick-cooking or standard rice.
- Fluff the rice and season with a dash of salt and pepper if desired. Dried parsley flakes add a nice pop of color.
I hate rice. I hate it.
Until now!!!
This was THE BOMB DIDDY!!!!
I’ll never make rice any other way… Ever.
Thank you for this!!!
Super tasty! My family loves it every time
Ty!!! Thank you so much! This is the best rice recipe, I have found for rice. I have been cooking for years and your recipe was life changing for me! God Bless…. Sincerely, Tara C.
You are welcome!
Really rice is my kick, I’m always on a lookout for a good rice recipe and this sounds great to me, guess I’m in for this recipe gonna give it a try
Very good and tastes out of this world good!
Thank you!
Im from Newark NJ but my family is from So Carolina {Geechees} so i grew up eating White Rice ALOT…and you rice looks really good
What can I use if i dont have bouillon cubes?
Use chicken stock or broth in place of the water. If you don’t have that, the butter adds flavor so you can try a little extra butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt and/or onion powder.
So glad I found this. Easy and yummy!
Awesome! Thanks!
This was really good!
Excellent!
What if I’m using white rice in bags, can I still somehow season my rice for more flavor?
You sure can. Cook the rice as directed on the package and drain well. Then heat the oil/butter and seasonings before coating the cooked rice and sautéing over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
I made this in a rice cooker and it came out great. I added a little more butter at the end. Perfect rice side!
Can i use a rice cooker
Hi. I’ve never used a rice cooker so I couldn’t say for sure but if rice cookers function with added ingredients, I don’t see why not.
Would this still be good with regular white rice and not the jasmine
Yes, any long grain rice will work.
This is now my go to rice recipe. I used two bullion cubes for extra flavor.
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it.
This was a hit! I used Jasmine Rice and extra Olive Oil. My kids liked the texture and I think it taste like popcorn rice. YUM.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Rice is a staple in my house and this is a great way to add some extra flavour.
I just love a simple steamed white rice. Loving what you did to add flavor here – it’s such a great idea!
This looks so great! Good way to make white rice less boring. Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe makes the perfect side dish – I can’t wait to pair it with spicy grilled chicken or fish!
What a great way to make a budget side dish more exciting.