This baked tomato rice is easy to make, and it's especially irresistible with a gooey cheese topping. Just pop it in the oven and it all cooks together!
Rice can sometimes be a bit boring, but bake it in tomato sauce with some veggies, and add a gooey cheese topping, and it's anything but! This cheesy baked tomato rice makes an easy but irresistible side dish (as long as you can resist eating it straight from the dish).
Baked rice
Pretty much everything is better when it's made in the oven. Ovens just have a way of making food extra rich and hearty. Just look at roasted vegetables - they're infinitely better than veggies cooked any other way.
The same goes for baked rice. Okay, so it's not exactly roasted, but it still ends up being more tasty, more hearty, and more comforting than rice that's cooked on the hob.
Plus... when you bake it, you can add a super cheesy topping, which can be as gooey or as crispy as you choose. And as we all know, everything's better with cheese.
Start with some veggies
I wanted to add some extra vegetables to my baked tomato rice, as I always love getting extra veg in wherever I can. But, I still wanted the dish to be rice-heavy, rather than veggie-heavy (otherwise I'd end up with another rice and vegetable casserole), so I didn't go overboard.
I cooked off some onion, mushrooms and spinach, which I chopped quite finely. They add a nice flavour to the tomato rice, and I love knowing that there are a few veggies in my side dish, but it's not enough to take the focus off the rice.
Tomato rice
Next, it's time to complete the tomato sauce by adding a tin of chopped tomatoes.
The sauce needs to be pretty thin at this stage, as this liquid is what will cook the rice in the oven. So, I also added some extra vegetable stock.
Add the uncooked rice, and transfer everything to a baking dish. From this point on, it will cook itself - go and put your feet up.
Cheesy topping
You can leave the recipe here, if you like, and you'll end up with a beautiful, rich tomatoey rice dish, which is entirely vegan.
Or, if you're anything like me... you'll want a cheesy topping.
When the rice is pretty much cooked, just sprinkle some grated cheese on top, and return it to the oven for as long as it takes to get the topping you want. Leave it nice and gooey, or cook it a bit longer for golden brown, crispy cheese.
Aside from my two daughters... this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
How to adapt this tomato rice recipe
As always, feel free to mix up this recipe as you see fit. I wouldn't change the rice:liquid ratio too much, just in case you end up with rice that's crunchy / soggy. But other than that, go wild.
You could easily change the vegetables you use in this tomato rice - some grated carrot, diced peppers, or chopped courgette (zucchini) would all work nicely.
You could also change the flavour of the sauce - you could add a dollop of curry paste for an Indian vibe, for example. A spoonful of basil pesto stirred through the sauce would work really nicely too.
How to serve tomato rice
This baked tomato rice is probably best served as a side dish. It could be served alongside all sorts of things, such as:
- some garlic bread and Caesar salad
- crispy tofu escalopes or tofu 'chicken' nuggets
- vegetable fritters
- lentil and veggie slice
- vegetable stroganoff
- tofu meatballs
- vegan pulled 'pork'
- vegetarian koftas
- roasted vegetable ratatouille (or slow cooker ratatouille!)
Or, if you want to serve your tomato rice as a main meal on its own, you might want to add a tin of chickpeas or something to make it a bit more substantial.
Either way, it's not hard to find an excuse to make this rich, cheesy, tomato baked rice...
Cheesy Tomato Baked Rice
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium mushrooms, diced fairly small
- 1 large handful spinach, finely chopped
- 400 g tin (~ 1 ⅓ cups) chopped tomatoes
- 150 g (~ 5 oz / ~ ⅔ cup) uncooked long-grain white rice
- 150 ml (~ ½ cup) vegetable stock
- 50 g (~ ½ cup) grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)
Instructions
- Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan, and add the diced onion, garlic, mushrooms and spinach. Cook for 5-10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are fairly soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, rice, and vegetable stock, and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish (mine measured approximately 8 x 8 inches), and add a lid (you can use kitchen foil if you don't have a lid).
- Bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, or until the rice is almost entirely cooked. Give it a stir, then sprinkle with grated cheese. Return to the oven (uncovered) until the cheese has crisped up to your liking (another 10-15 minutes).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
You might also like my cheesy risotto cakes in tomato sauce:
Sue Trowbridge says
We enjoyed this recipe and we are excited to try more of your delicious recipes 🤗
Becca Heyes says
Thanks Sue, I hope you find plenty more you enjoy! :)
Jezza says
Made this twice already in the last week and it was delicious both times. It has a really intense and fresh flavour. And, it's so useful for using up vegetables. The second time I put far more than a handful of spinach in and that worked well too. I used brown basmati rice - I increased the stock by 50ml (to 200ml) and increased the cooking time by around 10 minutes. I used a round casserole dish which can be used both on the hob and in the oven, for less washing up. 2 of us had it as a main course.
Becca Heyes says
Lovely feedback, thanks Jezza! And thanks for the info about how to adapt it for brown rice!
2hoops says
Delicious! Easy to make. I followed the exact recipe except used brown rice. Thanks for recipe.
Becca Heyes says
Thank you, good to know it works ok with brown rice too!
Mali Nikoline says
Has anyone tried it with brown rice? I assume the cooking time would be about 40-45 min and needing a bit extra fluid??
Becca Heyes says
I haven't tried it with brown rice but I agree, it will probably need a little extra liquid and a bit longer in the oven.
Mali Nikoline says
Loved how easy this recipe was, I was tired, so I did the onions, garlic and mushroom in the oven too, 30 min at 100 c, worked great. Then I did the rest according to the recipe. I absolutely love oven recipes that are easily assembled :)
Becca Heyes says
Great idea!
Deb says
I just made this delicious dish with fire roasted tomatoes, everything else the same- very good, nourishing meal I will make again
Becca Heyes says
Thanks Deb, glad you enjoyed it! :)
Angela Bingham says
First time making this dish. Very easy and quick to assemble. I had a problem with the cooking times, after the half hour covered cooking, my bake, the rice was still well undercooked. I gave it a good 15 mins more before stirring and adding the cheese topping and baking a further 15 mins to crisp the cheese. It was fabulous after that.
Makes loads, I had it as a main course just for me and tons left !
Thanks Becca x
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Angela! Rice seems to differ quite a lot in cooking times, it's odd!
Alison says
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely become a favourite recipe.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Alison!