This Rice Bake recipe was created due to the outrageously long-term summer heat in Brisbane, and my laziness!

I just don’t want to cook elaborate meals every day, especially after a workday. So we needed to be able to cook something once and eat it for the rest of the week. We do add other things to switch it up, but at least half the cooking and thinking about it is already done.

Don’t be intimidated by the long method – basically you are just cooking everything first then assemble and bake. So if you already have cooked left overs, this will take no time at all.

Rice Bake Recipe – (makes about 12 portions)

3 cups cooked white rice

1 cup baked cubed sweet potato

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

.

1 TBS butter

½ brown onion

½ red capsicum

1 large mushroom

2 big handfuls of spinach

.

2 eggs

¼ cup self-raising gluten free flour

¼ cup milk

salt, pepper to taste

How you do it…

Place a whole unpeeled sweet potato in the oven at 200C and bake for 30 minutes (or until knife goes through it.) Set on the bench and allow to cool a little.

Take 1 cup uncooked rice and boil in water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse with fresh boiling water from the kettle to remove the starch. (It makes the rice fluffier and less stuck together.) Set on the bench and allow to cool off a bit.

Finely chop onions, mushrooms and capsicum.

Wash spinach and leave to drain in a colander.

In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions, mushrooms and capsicum. Fry for 10-15 mins until soft. Add salt and pepper.

Peel and chop the sweet potato into cubes – throw into frying pan with the onions etc.

Add the spinach into the frying pan and stir until all soft and wilted. Turn off the heat and leave it there.

Second part…

In a mixing bowl add the rice, mix through the cheese, then stir through the frying pan contents.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs, flour and milk. Whisk with a fork until smooth. (This takes a little while to get all the lumps out, so if you have a Bamix or small rocket blender or some other electronic help, then use that.)

Add the egg mixture to the rest of the ingredients and stir through.

Line your baking dish with baking paper, spoon the mixture in and flatten it all out. Sprinkle a little more grated cheese on the top if you feel like it!

Bake for 30 minutes on 150C (300F.) I like to cover the top of it with baking paper too so that it cooks evenly without a hard crust on top. Rice can dry out a bit if cooked uncovered and tends to taste like you’re chewing little stones!

Cooked to perfection then enjoy!

So eat it hot straight out of the oven.

Or cut into slices then keep in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, double steamer or fry pan.

Freezes well too and lasts about 4 months. (Make sure to put a date label on it.)

Now the best part of this dish is it’s enormous versatility. I think the only constants that need to be kept are the rice and eggs; everything else can be switched out to whatever you have.

Other ingredient options:

• Roasted pumpkin, tomatoes, zucchini or beetroot instead of sweet potato – or left out altogether

• Cooked peas, green beans, broccoli, instead of spinach

• If you’d rather not use any flour, then skip the milk too and add 2 more eggs

• Or you can use any flour you have

• Feta cheese instead of cheddar. Parmesan would be great too.

• You can add spices that you like – I’ve tried sweet paprika powder, turmeric, chives. Even garlic would be great if you eat that.

• Carnivores add chopped ham or bacon

• Or to change from rice, you can even use boiled potatoes

• Kalamata olives would be amazing!

It’s just such a great batch cooking dish that lasts for quite a few meals and goes amazingly well as a side dish – way to make your daily cooking easier!

Here’s some ideas…

• Grill some lamb cutlets and warm up the Rice Slice to go with it.
• Bake some lemon fish and add the Rice Slice.
• Take some to work and heat it up in the microwave.
• Feed the kids for afternoon snacks.
• And many more options I’m sure.

Looking forward to hearing your favourite ingredient and meal pairing combinations.

Happy cooking & eating,

Kristy x

For more recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, grab a copy of the Zen Beach Diet.

PS: Photo standard will improve when www.adrianalfordphotography.com has more time!