Easy Leftover Rice Casserole Recipe - An Italian in my Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Can you bake rice that is already cooked? ›

Spread rice in an even layer over the baking dish, gently breaking up any clumps. Splash with about 2 Tbsp water or broth per cup of rice. Use foil to cover the dish tightly. Bake for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Can you put raw uncooked rice in a casserole? Yes, you must put it raw and uncooked into the casserole. The liquids used will cook it to the perfect texture.

It seems like I always cook more rice than I need, but that might not be such a bad thing. Leftover rice is one of the most versatile ingredients—use it to make soups, stir-fries, casseroles, rice pudding, and even breakfast.

Place rice in a microwave-safe bowl with a loose cover. For each cup of rice, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and cover loosely. Cook in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or until piping hot throughout. Check for an internal temperature of at least 165°F, and serve immediately.

If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy. And if you don't cook the rice long enough, it gets soft on the outside but doesn't cook through.

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

Use one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of liquid you would like to thicken. Stir out all the lumps. A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking.

Place the rice into an oven-proof baking dish and sprinkle with a little bit of water. If desired, a few knobs of butter or a drizzle of olive oil can be added to prevent sticking and add flavor. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or seal tightly with aluminum foil) and bake for about 15 minutes at 300° F (or 150º C).

Reheating Method: Microwave on High with a Damp Paper Towel

So, instead of microwaving for 4 minutes at 50% power, I microwaved the damp paper towel-covered rice for 30 seconds on high. Then I took the rice out, fluffed it with a fork, and re-covered it with the paper towel and microwaved for another 30 seconds.

Why does cooked rice get hard in the fridge? ›

The word of the day is “retrogradation,” and it takes place when cooked rice is refrigerated. The rice's starch cells collapse, squeezing out moisture and causing a realignment of starch molecules that results in the texture changing from soft and tender to hard and chewy.

Fried rice syndrome is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which is present in these types of starchy foods prior to cooking. Bacillus cereus is a heat-resistant bacteria, so even recooking foods that have not been appropriately refrigerated can result in food poisoning.

To reheat your rice in the air fryer: Preheat your air fryer at 320 degrees for 3 minutes. Place your refrigerated or frozen rice in a cake pan. Air fry your rice for 8 minutes if refrigerated; if your rice is frozen, you will want to up that to 10 minutes.

In a standard baking dish tightly covered with foil, white, brown, and wild rice all cook impressively well. No more fiddling with the heat level of your burner or trying to figure out the right pan to use—and no more scorched, crunchy, or mushy rice. Using this technique, you can serve properly cooked rice anytime.

Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F and reheat the rice for five minutes. This should dry out the rice. You may need to leave the rice in the oven for longer if it has not dried out. Keep checking the rice while it's in the oven.

It may sound incredibly time-consuming but actually, you're giving yourself the gift of time back on another day. There are three main ways of batch cooking and I definitely prefer the third option as it takes so much less time and it's easy to slot into at least one meal a week.

We do not recommend using uncooked Ben's Original™ Boil-In-Bag Rice for oven baking recipes.