Lemony Baked Rice with White Beans & Leeks
If you are just getting started with the Mediterranean diet and looking for a fool-proof, no fuss way to make a balanced dinner recipe out of a handful of affordable ingredients, then this 30-minute lemony baked rice and bean recipe is for you. Today’s Mediterranean menu recipe is my kind of dinner. It pulls together a handful of pretty ordinary and affordable ingredients but it makes a dish that has this incredible flavor.
Plus, it’s loaded with all the things that are good for you: healthy protein from the beans and almonds, tons of fiber from the whole grains, lots of nutrients from whatever veggies you want to add if you have them and it ends up with a bunch of different textures in each bite, which I love – all in one bowl. Plus, it’s one of the easiest ways to make perfect rice every time. Start on the stovetop, finish in the oven!
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat over to 400° F/200° C.
Wash and trim the leeks into ¼” rounds. Peel one lemon into strips, juice one half, quarter the other half.
Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a 12-inch braiser, sauté the leeks until soft and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Add lemon strips and rice and toss to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper and pur in 3 cups of stock, 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup toasted almonds and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven, gently fold in the white beans and season again with a bit of salt and pepper. If you want to double-up on your veggies, add some clean and trimmed vegetables on top and return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes more.
Remove the dish, remove the lemon peels, gently stir and fluff up the rice and other ingredients, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Garnish with a smattering of cheese and fresh green herbs and plenty of lemon wedges. Enjoy!
And if you want to learn more details about how easy it is to make this dish, just click on the video below and watch it now!
We made this last night. It took much longer to cook, but it was very tasty and we will make it again!