Susan's Baked Rice

My mom's name is Susan, but she's never baked rice as far as I know. No, this Susan must be one of Paula Deen's friends because that's where I found this recipe in one of her cookbooks, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, 1998. This dish is perfect to serve as a side for fish or steak. Or, maybe even chicken or pork. Dang, I guess that makes it good with everything. Plus, it's inspired me to rename some of my personal recipes, too. How does Kim's Strawberry Pie, Kim's Marinated Cucumbers, or Kim's Chicken and Dumplings sound?

Susan's Baked Rice

1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
4 or 5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups water
Ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion and bell pepper in butter; add bouillon cubes. Stir until dissolved. Combine rice and water and add to mixture. Pour into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 45 minutes. Goes great with baked or fried chicken.

Okay, so a whole bell pepper and a whole onion has to count as at least one serving of vegetables I'm guessing. And, couldn't that offset the fact that we're sauting them in a stick of butter? I'm just hoping that's the case.

Doesn't this look healthy?

Saute the vegetables and the bouillon cubes in a stick of butter.

Paula wouldn't like this too much but I used a stick of margarine because I like to save butter for baking. I cooked these until the vegetables were soft and the bouillon cubes had melted completely. I added a sprinkling of pepper at this point, too.

Bring on the starch. 

I coated the rice with the butter mixture then added the water.

Pour all of the mixture in a 13x9-inch baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. At the 35-minute mark, I stirred the dish to make sure all of the rice was cooking evenly. You will want to start watching it closely at the point so it doesn't overcook.

I wish I could have captured the color of the rice a little better. It's got a pale buttery color to it. And, the combination of the onion, peppers, and bouillon gives it such a rich flavor. I think you'll like it if you'll give it a chance. And, if you don't, blame Susan...kidding, of course!

Enjoy!!