Rosemary and Spinach Rice Casserole

If you are looking for a more exciting way to eat brown rice that also won’t require spending all day in the kitchen, a brown rice casserole is it! We add in some savory spices by using fresh rosemary and homemade pecan milk.

As far as I am concerned, home cooked casseroles rank right up there with the most genius of dishes for the time-crunched among us. You spend just a few minutes mixing a bunch of ingredients together in a single bowl and then pop the whole concoction in the oven and in about 30 or 40 minutes, Voila! Dinner is done.

Making a Clean Rice Casserole

Of course I realize casseroles and clean eating might not seem like an ideal match. And I know rice casseroles in general do not have a particularly sophisticated image. But this is such a shame! Rice Casseroles really can be incredibly delicious and there is absolutely no reason they have to be unhealthy either.

Unlike conventional casserole recipes, the Rosemary and Spinach Rice Casserole is 100% whole grain, dairy-free and oil-free. But don’t worry, it doesn’t have that strange “something is missing” quality either. In other words, it doesn’t taste as though it’s been tweaked to be made healthy. And it has the richness and substance you would expect from any classic casserole.

The Secret Ingredient in this Healthy Rice Casserole

A lot of casserole recipes rely on ingredients like cream or canned mushroom soup for richness. But the secret “clean” ingredient in this recipe is rich and delicious pecan milk. Pecan milk is incredibly easy to make—all you need is a high-speed blender, raw pecans and water. You’ll be amazed…blown away, really…by the magic of this special secret ingredient!

How to Make Perfectly Cooked Brown Rice

You almost always need to make the rice before you can assemble the rest of the casserole. As you know, preparing rice is often the most time-consuming component of making any rice casserole recipe.

If you are pressed for time or the mere thought of standing over a pot of rice cooking is discouraging you, I have a perfect solution. Having a rice cooker is a game changer! We LOVE VitaClay multi-cooker/rice-cooker for slow cooking, for quinoa, lentil dishes and brown rice!

If you are into clean eating and you don’t own one already, having a rice cooker can really make your life a whole lot easier. Not only does this VitaClay prepare absolutely perfect rice every single time, it also cooks every other whole grain to perfection. Thanks to my VitaClay, I am always able to keep a pot of cooked whole grains in the fridge at all times, which is one of my five secrets to making quick and healthy meals.

With a lead-free and chemical-free clay pot insert, VitaClay is definitely my favorite brand of rice cooker.

Want a Healthier Brown Rice Casserole?

Using sprouted whole grains will always enhance the overall nutritional value of any whole grain recipe. That’s because sprouting releases all the vital nutrients stored within the whole grain. For the brown rice casserole recipe below you will need to use a short grain brown rice and I suggest: organic short grain brown rice by Lundberg.

Rice Casserole

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This delicious Rice Casserole is loaded with flavor from rosemary and pecans and full of healthy nutrients from the spinach and brown rice.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 organic pastured eggs
• 1 – 10 ounce box/bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 4 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
• 3/4 cup raw pecans
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons organic Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• OPTIONAL: 1 cup pecans, chopped for topping

Instructions

For cooked brown rice, we trust Vita Clay. It relies on a non-toxic clay pot insert that slow cooks at about 2x less time as a regular slow cooker. Add 2 cups of brown rice and 2 1/2 cups water and set the Vita Clay to 1 hour for perfectly cooked rice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of oven-safe skillet, such as this 10″ ceramic skillet from Xtrema Cookware
2. In a high speed blender, add the pecans, water and Worcestershire sauce. Blend Process on high until smooth and creamy. Set the pecan milk aside.
3. Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl; whisk briefly and then stir in the spinach. Add the cooked rice, pecan milk mixture, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
4. Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared over-safe skillet and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle on the chopped pecans. Bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove casserole from the oven, cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.