Simple Rice Pilaf

This Simple Rice Pilaf is a lightened-up version of a classic rice recipe that has been in my family for generations. You won’t want plain white rice again!

I know, I know. It’s just a plate of rice, right? Not if your family has been making it for decades. I might be incredibly biased, but this is the best rice I’ve ever had. And it turns out perfectly every time, thanks to a simple tip that has totally changed my rice game.

The only real family on my mom’s side that I grew up knowing is her Uncle Bill and Auntie Regine. Oh boy, am I glad for my memories with them. Uncle Bill was your classic Scottish hothead; totally hilarious and serious at the same time. Auntie Re is a chain-smoking, tiny little French-Armenian woman–probably the strongest, most caring woman I’ve ever know. And she would always give Uncle Bill so much crap. “Oh, Bill,” she’d say in her thick French accent, “no one wants to hear that story again.” Always said with a sly smile; she knew we all really did want to hear them again.

Okay, so rice pilaf! Hah. I love how food tends to take me back to the best memories of my childhood. One of my favorite moments was watching Auntie Re make her Armenian-style rice pilaf. She would walk me through the steps (so simple), and then we got to eat this incredibly simple but complex side dish.

Auntie Re’s version has lots of butter and oil. And the “pilaf” part of it came from curly vermicelli noodles that she would crunch up in her hands. Wanting to lighten it up, I cut back on the butter and used whole wheat angel hair pasta to mimic the same texture and flavor. The toasted pasta and rice create a delightfully nutty flavor.

how to make classic rice pilaf

The first step is to take 2 ounces of pasta and break it up into small pieces. You can just pinch it off inch-by-inch until you get to the end of the pasta. It should look like this:

Then you want to toast the pasta in a combination of butter and olive oil. Like, REALLY toast it. Almost until you think it might burn. Then add in the rice and toast that for a few minutes until it’s a bit translucent. Notice the contrast in colors between the pasta and rice once toasted.

When this mixture is good to go, add in your chicken stock, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Easy, right? Technically, you could eat it after that. BUT, the best tip I’ve ever stumbled across for cooking rice is to add a clean cooking towel to the top of the pot, then add the lid back on. The towel will soak up the remaining moisture and the rice sits, ensuring that you get perfectly fully rice rather than sticky, gummy rice.

Let that sit for 5 minutes off heat, and then you’re done! Add in a bit of kosher salt if you want. That depends on how salty your broth is, and how concerned you are about your salt intake. I think just 1/2 a teaspoon really draws out the flavor.

Feel free to add whatever veggies you want to bulk it up! I like to throw in some frozen, thawed peas and carrots as it sits for those 5 minutes. Add some green beans in the final minute or two of cooking. Or saute celery, carrots and onions before toasting your pasta and rice. This recipe is really just a base for so many different options.

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!