Parmesan Brown and Wild Rice Recipe

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With only four ingredients, this Simple Stovetop Parmesan Brown and Wild Rice Recipe is delicious way to jazz up any meal and really so easy!

Why We Love This Recipe

Some days I feel pretty meal planning challenged and it’s all I can do to get our main dinner meal made and to the table. But I like having side dishes and a vegetable most of the time, especially whole grains like this rice pilaf!

Years ago I came up with this simple Parmesan Brown and Wild Rice Recipe by making some changes to a basic rice recipe I already made often. It was an instant hit and remains one of my family’s favorite side dishes

I created it sort of on the fly one evening. I was trying to think of ways I could jazz up the flavor of brown and wild rice but also appeal to my family. The combination of the broth and bit of garlic salt combined with the Parmesan cheese gives this rice dish a delicious boost of flavor!

I pretty much always have all these ingredients on hand so throwing this together at the last minute is no problem. It’s easy to make on a medium sauce pan on the stove too.

Ingredient Tips and Notes

All of the ingredients for this recipe can usually be found at the grocery store. The wild rice is sometimes considered a specialty rice so look for it on the upper or lower shelves with all the other rice.

Brown and Wild Rice – I like to buy the blend that is brown and wild rice but you can also just use wild rice.

Grated Parmesan Cheese – We prefer the real Parmesan cheese and to save money I buy it in bulk. I will either buy it pre-grated or shredded from the warehouse club store or sometimes I will buy a large chunk of Parmesan cheese and use my food processor (affiliate link) to grate it. This is so easy to do!

Then, I store my grated Parmesan cheese supply in a labeled (affiliate link) freezer safe bag (affiliate link) or storage container. It lasts forever and is so handy to use in recipes like this Italian Wedding Soup or Tomato Basil Soup.

Look for garlic salt on the spice aisle and you can use the chicken broth you prefer. I usually keep a case of the boxed variety (from Costco) on hand at all times because I use it so often (like in this 10-Minute Spinach Parmesan Couscous recipe).

How to Cook Wild Rice

You can tell by the name that this Stovetop Parmesan Brown and Wild Rice Recipe is meant to be made in a pan on the stovetop. It takes about 30 minutes for it to simmer and cook fully. Since brown and wild rice are firmer rices, they take a bit longer than a white rice variety.

This recipe is so easy! Just start by adding the rice, broth and garlic salt in a medium sauce pan. You will add the Parmesan cheese after the rice is fully cooked.

Make sure you choose a pan that is large enough to allow for the rice, broth and garlic salt mixture to double in size. One other note: be sure to keep an eye on the pan while the mixture is coming to a boil. I have sometimes turned away just for a minute and the next thing I know it is boiling over!

After it has come to a boil, it is pretty hands off cooking and just needs the occasional stirring.

If you have a rice cooker (affiliate link), you can make it even more easily using that. I know you can also make it in a pressure cooker (affiliate link), but since I have a rice cooker, I haven’t tried that yet. I will need to do that so I can update this post with the results here for you all.

Once the liquid it all absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and serve! We like this rice pilaf with pork chops or tenderloin or simple grilled chicken type meals.

Make Ahead Preparation Tips

Since this brown and wild rice recipe is so easy to make, there’s not a whole lot to do to prep it ahead. However, you can make up bags of the measured-out rice and garlic salt and store in a dated and labeled (affiliate link) airtight container or bag in the pantry. This makes it pretty much like the store-bought rice varieties.

Can you this freeze rice pilaf?

I have frozen this brown and wild rice pilaf after cooking. To me, I prefer it fresh more often but really, it’s just a slight preference. I have frozen the mixture in my SouperCubes (affiliate link) and when I thaw it out, it seems a little mushier than when fresh but really, it’s not bad and is a great way to have some easy sides on hand to pair easily with dinner!

It’s best if used within three months so be sure to date and label (affiliate link) your container before freezing.

What are some other related recipes?

If you’re looking for other easy side dishes, be sure to check out these recipes too:

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Cilantro Lime Rice

10 Minute Spinach Parmesan Couscous

Simple Stovetop Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf

With only four ingredients, this Simple Stovetop Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf is a perfect addition to any meal and full of flavor too!

3.93 from 13 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Brenda Thompson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup brown and wild rice
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth or substitute vegetable broth
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• In medium saucepan, combine rice, broth and garlic salt. Stir.
• Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer and stir occasionally for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.
• Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and fully blended.
• Serve warm as a side to your main dish.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Tips

All of the ingredients for this recipe can usually be found at the grocery store. The wild rice is sometimes considered a specialty rice so look for it on the upper or lower shelves with all the other rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post was originally shared in March 2017 but was updated in December 2020 with new photos, content and video.