Herbed mushroom rice is flavoured with golden slices of sautéed mushrooms, generous amounts of garlic, fresh dill and parsley, and simmered in stock. This is an elevated rice dish that is super quick, super versatile and a super star saviour when everyone is done with mashed potatoes. Serve with saucy mains or your weekend roast.
Yes! I said rice with a roast! Try it with this slow-cooked pot roast with gravy. Believe me!
Mushroom rice
I find rice is disappointingly sidelined to specific cuisines. It serves to soak up the gravy from Indian curries or the sauce from your favourite Chinese or Thai dish.
Or accompanies chili and burritos. But there are so many sauce-rich main dishes in Europe and North America that could easily be served with rice.
Mostly out of necessity, I have a mash-averse daughter, I am, literally, bringing rice to the table. Rice, when cooked right, is far less stodgy than its starch alternatives, pasta and potatoes, and therefore more comfortable on the stomach. I can understand why she prefers it.
But what makes rice roast-worthy? My herbed mushroom rice recipe is cooked in stock, rather than boiling water, which is the key to producing a rice side dish brimming with flavour.
That and it’s packed with earthy chestnut mushrooms, humming garlic, and garlic, zingy fresh herbs. So, are you joining the rice revolution?
Recipe tips and notes
- I use basmati rice for this recipe. There are two reasons for this. First, it cooks fast. Second, as the starch content is lower than other types of rice, its finish is fluffy and not claggy.
- Give the mushrooms a decent amount of time to brown. I find they take around ten minutes. Browning them brings the flavour out, infuses the oil, and turns them an appetising golden colour.
- I’ve used chestnut mushrooms because they’re inexpensive and hold their shape. But there are lots of varieties to choose from: portobello, shiitake, oyster. A pack of mixed mushrooms will make this a really exotic rice side dish.
- 4 cloves of garlic sound overwhelming but my R&D has determined it is the exact right amount to flavour the rice. Trust the research!
- Fresh herbs are essential to this mushroom rice. They brighten the dish up in both colour and flavour. To make it even more punchy, add a teaspoon of dried dill too.
- Don’t forget to keep some fresh herbs back for the garnish for an appealing pop of bright green.
- This recipe is easily adapted to vegetarians, just use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.
Serving suggestions
I serve a side dish of mushroom rice every Thanksgiving as my daughter can’t stand mashed potatoes. We’ve discovered that the mushrooms and herbs actually really suit the holiday turkey and trimmings. So, it’s here to stay.
In fact, like mashed potatoes, this recipe goes with almost any saucy meat dish. Here’s a few I would serve it with:
Chicken- chicken cacciatore or chicken Provençal.
Beef- beef stroganoff or slow cooker Italian beef stew.
Pork – pork osso buco.
Storage and leftovers
Most people throw out leftover rice. I try to avoid food waste as much as possible and have a few tricks up my sleeve for rice. This herby mushroom rice is a ready-made flavour-maker and definitely deserves a second chance.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days. In that time, it can be added to soups, like chicken and mushroom, or leftover turkey soup. Or added to stews or casseroles for a bit of bulk. Or used as the base for a pilaf or a fried rice dish.
Other rice recipes to try
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Cajun Dirty Rice with Shrimp
- Coconut Chicken with Rice and Green Beans
- Easy Peri Peri Rice
Herbed Mushroom Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 300g / 10.5 oz chestnut (brown button) mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 300g / 1.5 cups basmati rice
- 15g / 4 tbsp fresh chopped dill and parsley plus 1 tbsp for garnish
- 500ml / 2 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan for which you have a lid and fry the sliced mushrooms for 10 minutes over high heat till golden brown. Add a pinch of salt and minced garlic, fry for 30 seconds longer.
- Add the basmati rice and stir till the rice is coated in oil. Add the chopped herbs, salt and the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off and keep the pan with a lid on for 10 minutes longer. Fluff up the rice and sprinkle with a tablespoon of fresh herbs. Serve immediately.