Rice, Greens & Mushroom Gratin

By guest author, Heather Forsyth.

This is a quick, easy and flexible dish that can be a main meal for vegetarians or a side dish for meat eaters.  Using brown rice makes it especially nutritious, though I can seldom get away with it in my house.  If you use brown rice, add a bit more water, and plan for a little longer cooking time.

Rice, Greens & Mushroom Gratin

• 1 T each butter and olive oil
  


• 1 medium onion, chopped
  


• 8 oz. mushrooms (preferably Shitake) sliced
  


• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  


• 1/2 t. thyme
  


• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
  


• zest of 1/2 lemon
  


• 1 big bunch of fresh greens such as spinach, arugula or mustard greens, sliced into ribbons
  


• 1 c. rice, scant
  


• 1 3/4 c. water
  


• 1 c. grated cheese, mild cheddar works well

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat the oil and butter in a large-ish pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, thyme, red pepper, lemon peel, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add the rice, stir to coat, then the spinach.  Cover briefly to allow the spinach to wilt.  Add water, bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed (longer if using brown rice).  Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle with the cheese, and poke it around a bit so that some of the cheese is under the surface.  Bake for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and nice and brown on top.

Comments

[trevy]

Sounds delicious. I love the cheese part. I have found a blend of different rices that includes brown, and that passes inspection at my house. It's very good and fast to make. I think it's called Royal Blend.

[Erin]

this sounds yummy, and I'm going to try it......with brown rice...I'm trying to do a couple of total vegetarian dishes a week, until Tim notices otherwise!