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Brown Rice with Parmesan, Lemon, and Herbs

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

1¾ hours

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Brown Rice with Parmesan, Lemon, and Herbs

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small onion, minced1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice2 ⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth ⅛ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon lemon zest ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Set onion aside.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread rice in 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
  3. Bring broth to boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in salt and pour broth over rice. Stir in onion mixture and cover baking dish tightly with doubled layer of foil. Bake rice 1 hour, until tender.
  4. Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Stir in ground black pepper, parsley, basil, Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover dish with clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer; serve immediately.
Brown Rice with Parmesan, Lemon, and Herbs

Brown Rice with Parmesan, Lemon, and Herbs

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¾ hours

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice
2 ⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice
2 ⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice
2 ⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Why This Recipe Works

For our brown rice recipe, we cooked the rice in the oven to approximate the controlled, indirect heat of a rice cooker, eliminating the risk of scorching. Experimenting with proportions, we discovered why most brown rice is sodden and overcooked: Most brown rice recipes call for a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio. For our brown rice recipe, we found that 2 1/3 cups water to 1 ½ cups rice gave us perfectly cooked rice.

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Set onion aside.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread rice in 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
  3. Bring broth to boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in salt and pour broth over rice. Stir in onion mixture and cover baking dish tightly with doubled layer of foil. Bake rice 1 hour, until tender.
  4. Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Stir in ground black pepper, parsley, basil, Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cover dish with clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer; serve immediately.

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