This dish in noticeably free of mayonnaise, unlike many tomato pies. The recipe started out with a container of left over rice from take-out Chinese food and became something that my husband said we should have more often. Now, I make the rice with "planned over" brown rice, which is more nutritious, rather than white rice. The dish is simple and quick to prepare and is great to pop in the oven alongside a main dish. I like to serve it alongside baked tilapia. Alternatively, you could add some cooked meat to the tomato-rice pie--leftover rotisserie chicken or ham come to mind--and turn the pie into a main dish. I think shrimp would be great in the pie. The rice in the pie soaks up the juices from the tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese adds a nice nutty, salty flavor. It's a simple dish, but it's good! Enjoy!
Tomato-Rice Pie -- Serves 4+
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 - 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (left over is fine!)
2 cups of cored, chopped tomatoes (or use a 14-15 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (a tablespoon of chopped fresh basil is good, too, if you
have it)
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons of seasoned panko breadcrumbs
Spritz a pie dish with non-stick baking spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the oil and onion in the pie dish, loosely cover the dish, and microwave the oil/onion for about a minute or until the onion has softened slightly. Stir in the rice, the tomatoes, the pepper, garlic powder, and two tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Smooth the mixture out in the pie dish and bake it for about 20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid from the tomatoes and the pie is beginning to brown. Sprinkle on the remaining two tablespoons of Parmesan and the breadcrumbs and return the dish to the oven for about five minutes or until the breadcrumbs have turned golden. Let the pie cool a few minutes before serving it.
