Kale, mushroom and brown rice bake recipe
Daughter #1 is my 15-year-old who used to turn her nose at her plate if food groups were touching. So you can imagine how very satisfying it was for me when she sighed, “I could eat Kale, Mushroom and Brown Rice Bake every day.” Sigh. Actually, both my daughters are crazy about this rice and veggie quasi-frittata and I am thrilled to cook them something so healthful and substantial for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the moment, the girls are on a brown rice bake kick and I’ve had to make it three times in the last two weeks!
With teenage daughters usually comes a little drama, even first thing in the morning. It usually involves someone borrowing someone else’s clothes without asking or someone posting a picture on Instagram of the other one sleeping with her mouth open. But who knew that even breakfast food could fuel more than just hungry bodies? Yesterday morning there was only 1 piece of brown rice bake leftover from the day before and Daughter #2 was the first one in the kitchen. You know what they say about the early bird…. Daughter #1 was not the early bird yesterday, nor is she any day for that matter, but apparently she dreamt all night of brown rice bake instead of the boys from One Direction. Do you know where this is going? I watched it unfold in slow motion as #1 opened the refrigerator looking for the breakfast of her dreams while #2 savored another forkful of the last of the rice bake. I knew what was next. “Where’s the rice bake?” No response was really necessary as my glance shot over to her sister who looked hesitant and terrified as she finished the last bite. Hell hath no fury like a hungry teenage girl robbed of her rice bake. No further details necessary.
What’s the point of airing my family’s dirty laundry? Oh merely just to share how much we love Brown Rice Bake and to encourage you to make it! Although most of us (except for Mr. Picky) love frittatas, this is less eggy and more rice and vegetables bound with just enough egg to hold it all together. The rice and (optional) sliced almonds give every bite great texture. It’s super satisfying for any meal and a great way to use up leftover cooked brown rice and whatever vegetables you have lying around. Think of this recipe as merely a roadmap to deliciousness – there is more than one way to get there. Spinach, broccoli, leeks, asparagus, zucchini – all perfect here.
I felt bad that Daughter #1 was disappointed yesterday so last night I sautéed all my vegetables and pre-measured the rice, cheese, salt and almonds, so all I had to do this morning was crack some eggs and measure a bit of milk. I was so excited to surprise my lovely daughter with a new brown rice bake when she woke up this morning. It’s noon and I’m still waiting for her to wake up. Just praying there’s some rice bake left when she does…..
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined extra-virgin olive oil or ghee
- 4 ounces mushrooms (such as shiitake*), chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 large kale leaves, stemmed and chopped (or more if you like)
- Sea salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (or barley, farro or spelt)
- 5 Tablespoons sliced almonds, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, divided
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup whole milk or unsweetened hemp milk
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8x8 or 9-inch round baking dish. You can also use a 12-cup muffin tin, greased or lined with silicone liners.
- In a large skillet heat the oil/ghee over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms, onions, kale and a pinch of salt for about 3-5 minutes or until just beginning to soften.
- Add in the garlic. Continue cooking until everything is softened and the mushrooms are golden, about another 3 minutes.
- Place the rice in a large bowl. Stir in the mushroom mixture, ¼ cup almonds, and half the Parmesan cheese.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture, then pour into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the reserved half of cheese and 1 Tablespoon of sliced almonds.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until set.
52 Comments
Hi Pamela! Do you think this recipe would hold up with different veggies? Im thinking of trying it with either broccoli or zucchini instead of kale and mushrooms because that’s what I have in the fridge?? Thank you!
Totally! I’ve made variations of this recipe with spinach, broccoli, leeks, asparagus, and zucchini. Use what you’ve got, but you will need to cook the vegetables before adding them to your baking dish.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. My husband and I loved it. My kids (9 and 11) liked it too, but they wished ther were no nuts. Other ideas for crunch besides almonds?
You can omit them and serve toasted nuts on the side for you and your husband. 🙂
I’m planning to serve these at a party. How many days in advance can they be made and stored in the refrigerator? I have so many things to make and bake that they can’t be made at the last minute. I made them for another party and they were a big hit and are great for vegetarians and those on gluten free diets.
I think they are best not made too far in advance. Day before?
I think I’ll try this for Break Fast!
Good idea 🙂
These sound delicious! Would they still taste good if served at room temperature? I’m thinking about making mini ‘muffins’ as hors d’oeuvres for a large holiday party and don’t want to be cooking or heating anything. I could put them in a chafing dish if necessary.
Thanks so much.
I think this is delicious at room temp!
Double-checking — is the 2 cups rice measured after cooking?
Correct. The recipe calls for the rice to be already cooked and you need 2 cups of COOKED rice. If you want to make enough rice to yield exactly 2 cups cooked rice, you should start with 2/3 cup raw rice. But the recipe uses cooked rice.
I have put together all ingredients and read through but dont see a specific bake time for the 12 muffins verses the dense 8×8 pan. Have you perfected the best time for 12 muffins I do not want to burn them. Happy long Labor Day! We survived 7 inches of rain/wind last night with hurricane Hermine on the beach in NC. Good luck to your LI family, it is headed their way.
Hope you and your family are safe and sound! Sorry I didn’t reply right away. I don’t have a specific bake time for the muffins, but I think they’re around 20 minutes or until firm.
Love this! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard and other green leafies. https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens
–Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut ‘N Clean Greens
Why thanks! I’ll be sure to check you guys out!
Hi Pam! I made this last week knowing my husband loves kale and is trying to eat healthier. We both loved it!!! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle Battista-Caruthers
Hey Danielle! So glad you gave this a try. This is great with so many combinations of veggies!
My children are allergic to eggs, but can tolerate a small amount. Is there anything comparable to the eggs? It looks so delicious, and I want to try a version of it if at all possible.
Since it’s not a frittata, I have feeling you could likely sub something for the eggs, although I haven’t tried to. There are a few reliable egg replacers out there like Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer (not GF) and Ener-G. You just have to follow the instructions to make it equivalent to the 4 eggs in the recipe. You might also try blending tofu (either silken or regular) with the milk in a food processor or blender and using that to bind. Please let me know if you try it!
Do these freeze well?
I am guessing so, but I haven’t tried freezing them.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Just made it for the 1st time and it’s absolutely delishes!!!!!
How wonderful! Feel free to change the vegetables that you add — it’s a very flexible recipe.
OMG…. these are absolutely delish!!!!! and what a great idea. thanks Pamela!
You’re welcome, Peir! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was delish!!! Thanks for the great recipe. Crossing fingers my picky toddler loves it as much as my husband and I did. Random question for you (I saw your comments about toaster ovens and have to ask)…. I’ve been in the market for months for a toaster oven without non-stick interior, to no avail. I actually bought and returned a Breville, found a couple posts online for promising no non-stick models but can’t seem to find them anywhere. Do you have any suggestions?
Glad you liked it! As for toaster ovens, you have totally enlightened me! It never even occurred to me to look at the interior of my toaster oven, which IS non-stick! Arrrgh! I did a little research and found this one which seems to have an all-stainless interior http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203019049/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=toaster+oven&storeId=10051#.UGNwihz38cM
Hope that helps!
Believe it or not, this one has non-stick interior! There’s another Waring model (TCO600) that doesn’t, but I can’t find it anywhere. Also, there’s a Black ‘n Decker model (T01006SC) that is nowhere to be found. They’re both pretty ugly, so it’s probably for the best.
Drat.
I am vegan and wondering if this would come out using almond milk and no cheese.
Almond milk and hemp milk will both work out fine. You can eliminate the cheese altogether (I would add an extra pinch of salt) or sub some Parma. I haven’t subbed anything yet for the eggs, though. Were you thinking of blending some tofu in the blender? That might work.
How are you reheating these in the oven the next day? I have guests coming in town soon and want to make the bake the night before!
To reheat, just put in your oven or toaster oven at 350 and cover it/them so they don’t dry out. If I’m just reheating one or two little muffins, I might make a packet of parchment and foil and reheat that way.
Made this last night and loved it. Especially liked the crunch that the almonds added. Another hit!
I’m so happy, Mary! I agree, the crunch from the almonds is fabulous! Thanks~
You weren’t kidding about these!! My daughters (10, 8, and 5) LOVED them (my husband and I did too). They ate them for breakfast and as snacks in their lunches. These will be an absolute staple in our house. The perfect go-to!! Thank you!!
Awesome!! Sweet ages of your girls, BTW. Get back to me in 5 years 😉
These sound delish and I can’t wait to try them. Could you use unsweetened almond milk in lieu of regular milk?
I have only tried unsweetened hemp milk in place of regular milk and that turned out great. But I don’t see why you couldn’t use unsweetened almond milk since it’s such a small amount. Let me know if you try it!
I made it with almond milk over the weekend and it turned out good but a little on the dry side. My oven runs hot – I probably should have done 25 minutes and it would have been better – next time!!!
If your oven runs hot, you should always check your dish early. I am confident this will not turn out dry if you bake it for less time next time. The only other thing I can think of is that almond milk has less fat than whole milk or hemp milk.
I just made this with plain almond milk and it’s delish!
Cool! Thanks, Kelly!
These are so good, they have become a staple. A little (Cholula) hot sauce puts them over the edge:)Thank you!
Thanks Kelly. Someone else mentioned hot sauce being a good addition. I’ve got to try that!
Hi! I am from mexico and Brown rice is not than common…so what is the best method to cook it…Thank you
You can cook brown rice in a rice cooker, if you have one, or in a pot. Just use same size pot you would use for an equal amount of white rice. Brown rice takes longer to cook, about 45-50 minutes. 1 cup brown rice + 2 cups water. I love the flavor and texture of brown rice, but you can make this recipe with leftover white rice, too. Enjoy!
I can’t wait to make this. If I make this in a muffin tin, can I freeze them? What would be the best way to reheat them in the morning?
I’m sure they would freeze just fine. If you reheat refrigerated rice bakes, just pop them in a 350 degree toaster oven until they’re heated through. I have never reheated them straight out of the freezer, so I couldn’t say for sure. I am guessing it’s better to defrost in the fridge overnight and then heat through in toaster oven.
What a great post. My daughters loved reading it.
Rice Bake for breakfast tomorrow!!!!
Thank you, Mary! Hope your family enjoys eating it as much as we do. 🙂