How to Cook Rice on the Stove

How to Cook Rice on the Stove

What You Need

Ingredients

1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter or oil (optional)

Equipment

Small (2-quart or so) saucepan with a lid
Stirring spoon

Pre-cooking: It's good practice to rinse your rice in a strainer before cooking. This isn't strictly necessary, but it will rinse off any dusty starch on the surface of the rice along with any leftover chaff or stray particles. (Some rices have more starchy coating than others.)

1. Measure the Rice and Water: For most rice, use a 1:2 ratio of one cup of rice to two cups of water. Measure a half cup of uncooked rice per person and scale this ratio up or down depending on how much you're making. Some rice varieties will need a little less or a little more water as it cooks, so check the package for specific instructions.

2. Boil the Water: Bring the water to boil in a small sauce pan. Rice expands as it cooks, so use a saucepan large enough to accommodate. A 2-quart saucepan for one to two cups of uncooked rice is a good size.

3. Add the Rice: When the water has come to a boil, stir in the rice, salt, and butter (if using), and bring it back to a gentle simmer.

4. Cover and Cook: Cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Don't take off the lid while the rice is cooking — this lets the steam out and affects the cooking time.

Approximate cooking times:

• White Rice: 18 to 25 minutes
• Brown Rice: 30 to 40 minutes
• Wild Rice: 45 to 60 minutes

Start checking the rice around 18 minutes for white rice and 30 minutes for brown rice. When done, the rice will be firm but tender, and no longer crunchy. It is fine if it's slightly sticky but shouldn't be gummy. If there is still water left in the pan when the rice is done, tilt the pan to drain it off.

5. Turn Off the Heat and Remove the Lid: When the rice is done, turn off the heat and take off the lid. Fluff the rice with a spoon or a fork, and let it sit for a few moments to "dry out" and lose that wet, just-steamed texture.

Rice keeps well in the fridge for several days, so you can make extra ahead to serve later.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 package no boil lasagna noodles (whole wheat if you can find them)
2 jars (48 oz.) marinara sauce  (your favorite or try this recipe)
mozzarella, grated
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Asiago, grated (optional)
fresh basil, chopped

Roasted Vegetables:
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
6 cloves of garlic (skin left on for roasting)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
dash dried oregano
dash dried basil

Ricotta Mixture:
16 oz. ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
fresh basil, julienned
dash dried oregano
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl toss the chopped vegetables with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, oregano, and dried basil to coat. Spread the vegetables in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, toss, and continue cooking an additional 15 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to assemble the lasagna. 

2. To make the ricotta mixture, combine ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, egg, garlic, fresh basil, dried oregano, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

3. Reduce the oven heat to 350 F. Coat a large glass baking dish (9x13) with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with a bit of marinara sauce. Place 1 layer of lasagna noodles over the marina (do not overlap). Top with a thin layer of marinara, then spread half of the ricotta mixture over top. Sprinkle a layer of freshly grated cheeses over the ricotta. Next, place on half of the vegetables, followed by another layer of sauce, noodles, sauce, the remaining ricotta, cheeses, the remaining vegetables, sauce, noodles, and the remaining sauce. Top with a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Asiago.

NOTE: At this point the lasagna can be covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. You will probably need to increase the baking time if the lasagna is refrigerated first.

4. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking another 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling and the noodles are soft throughout.

5. Remove from the oven and top with freshly cut basil. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes a heaping 9x13 pan of lasagna.

(Adapted from For the Love of Cooking)