Baked Brown Rice With Apples and Pumpkin

This is my own twist on a Polish classic — baked rice with apples — that my mom used to make just before the bitter Polish cold set in for the winter. It’s usually made with white rice, apples, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. But I love love love harvest season in the US, and all of the produce it has to offer. That’s a fancy way of saying I’m a sucker for pumpkin season. Pumpkin everything! By adding pumpkin here, the dish becomes more appropriate for brown rice. Although the brown rice is great, if you can get it try Korean brown / black / purple rice. It sweeter and therefore perfect for this dish. I used a Korean brown/whole grain rice blend in the photo.   

INGREDIENTS makes 6 servings

1.5 cups brown rice

1 tsp salt

butter or canola oil spray (for greasing the pan)

1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

1/4 cup canned pumpkin (pie filling) or pumpkin butter

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1.5 cups brown rice
• 1 tsp salt

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions, adding 1 tsp salt to the water. This should make 3 cups of cooked rice.

• butter or canola oil spray (for greasing the pan)
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (pie filling) or pumpkin butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9×9 baking pan or casserole dish with butter or canola oil spray (I use Pam for baking) and set aside. (Note: If you want to use a full sized casserole dish, just double the recipe.) Mix the apple slices with the pumpkin, making sure to coat each slice thoroughly. Layer 1/3 of the cooked rice (about 1 cup) in the bottom of the pan. Layer half of the apple slices on top of the rice. Repeat with one more layer of rice and apples. Then top the second layer of apples with the remaining rice (about 1 cup). Sprinkle the rice with the sugar and cinnamon. Bake uncovered for 35 min.

3. To serve, cut the baked rice into large squares like you would lasagna. It’s best served warm, but I’ve been caught more than once eating a cold serving right out of the fridge the next day.