Rice-a-Roni is one of my favorite boxed dishes, but I don’t love the ingredients. Did you know you can make Homeade Rice-a-Roni, with no processed ingredients, in the same amount of time? You sure can! Make as little or as much as you want and enjoy the leftovers for days. This easy recipe will be one you make over and over again, for family dinners and company, plus every occasion in between.
Homemade Rice-a-Roni Recipe
One of the best parts about from scratch recipes is being able to customize the flavor to your liking. For this homemade Rice-a-Roni, I seasoned it with garlic and herbs. You could use lemon, parmesan, fresh herbs, dried herbs, there’s a ton of possible combinations.
- To start, you’ll want to have vermicelli on hand. Vermicelli is basically just very thin, short pieces of pasta. In some countries it’s wheat based, in others it’s rice based.
- For this recipe, you can buy a package of vermicelli on Amazon for literally 50 cents. If you don’t feel like going to the store, it’s not a bad way to get some!
- You’ll also want to have white rice on hand, along with some spices, and broth. I like using chicken broth, but you could use vegetable, or beef broth if you prefer.
- Pro Tip: If you want to increase the protein content, you can use bone broth. It has about 10 grams of protein per serving!
Making Rice-a-Roni from Scratch
The formula for homemade rice-a-roni is 1 part rice/vermicelli, and 2 parts liquid. This goes for most any types of pasta and rice, actually!
- To get that quintessential Rice-a-Roni golden brown look, add some olive oil to a pan with a tiny bit of butter. Saute the vermicelli and the rice together, until the vermicelli is golden brown, and the rice is slightly toasted.
- While the rice and vermicelli are toasting, mix together a broth mixture.
- Combine broth with granulated garlic, dehydrated onion, and dried herbs of choice (I like chives, parsley, and oregano).
- Mix together, and turn the heat down to low before adding the broth to the rice and vermicelli mixture (be cautious of splatter!)
- Add a lid on a pan, simmer on low for about 10-14 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
Serving From Scratch Rice-a-Roni
I like to add some fresh parsley to mine before serving it. The color is nice, but it also adds such a depth of herby flavor. I serve this with easy chicken breasts for a quick and simple weeknight meal, alongside some roasted vegetables.
Chicken and rice for dinner is such a classic, a few more chicken recipes we love:
- Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
- Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Greek Yogurt Chicken
Cheers to easy delicious recipes from scratch! – Kathi and Rachel
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Homemade Rice-a-Roni
Equipment
- 1 medium size stovetop pan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 1/4 cup vermicelli
- 3/4 cup white rice
Broth Ingredients
- 2 cups broth
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1.5 tsp dehydrated onion
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried chives
Instructions
- In a medium pan on medium heat, add butter and olive oil. Add vermicelli and white rice. Stir until golden brown.
- While rice and vermicelli is sautéing, mix together broth mixture (broth and spices). Stir well. Set aside.
- Turn heat to low, and while being cautious of splatter, pour broth mixture into rice and vermicelli. Add lid, and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
- Stir rice, remove lid, and continue to cook for additional 5 minutes.
- Allow to slightly cool before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Brenda says
I love all your recipes.