Veggie Rice Casserole

Ingredient notes

• White rice: Medium or long grain white rice work best. I have not tested this with white rice.
• Grape tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes also work. I recommend slicing the tomatoes in half because hot cherry tomatoes bursting in your mouth can be unpleasant!
• Kale: I use about ⅓ of a bunch of curly kale, or 4 cups. Chop it into small, bite-sized pieces or buy pre-chopped kale.
• Zucchini: Just one medium zucchini is all you need. Yellow squash also works.
• White beans: I use great northern beans but cannellini, small white beans, or chickpeas also work.
• Ginger and garlic: Don't skip the fresh ginger as its flavor is the backbone of this dish. I like to grate ginger and garlic on a microplane. This turns it into a paste and distributes it throughout the casserole better than if it were just minced.
• Vegetable broth: I use Better than Bouillon dissolved into water, but any variety works.
• Calabrian chilis: This is optional but recommended. These are spicy chilis and the oil is great drizzled on the finished veggie rice bake. A little (1 tablespoon chopped) goes a long way. This is the brand of Calabrian chilis that I use. Use leftovers in this red pepper orzo.

Step-by-step photos

1. Add all ingredients, except for the kale and feta, to the 9x13-inch baking dish. Stir to combine. Top with the kale, then drizzle with a small amount of oil.
2. Cover tightly with a lid and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked. The kale should be wilted.
3. Stir the rice casserole. Top with feta, then return to the oven to bake for another 5-10 minutes, uncovered. The veggie bake is ready when the feta is melted.

Variations and swaps

• An equal amount of quinoa can be used in place of white rice.
• Brown rice does not work as a direct swap because it requires additional liquid and bake time, which both can affect the texture of the veggies. I recommend trying a dump & bake designed for brown rice, like this vegetarian taco casserole.
• Other veggies: Yellow squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, peas, and broccoli florets are all great additions or swaps.
• Frozen veggies: I recommend cooking frozen vegetables before adding them to the bake because adding frozen vegetables increases cook time, and they turn mushy much more quickly than fresh vegetables. Add them at the same time as the feta.
• If using spinach in place of kale, I recommend stirring it into the rice bake when you add the feta because it cooks much more quickly than kale.
• Dairy-free option: I also tested this recipe with Follow Your Heart vegan feta. I prefer the flavor of the feta cold to melted, but it does melt well and it's still a great swap if you're dairy-free.

Top tips

• If your baking dish doesn't have a lid, simply cover the dish tightly with foil. An upside-down sheet pan also works, but isn't as foolproof because if it's not airtight it can release some steam.
• Make sure to place the kale on top of the rice instead of stirring it into the bake. When I first tested this casserole, I stirred the kale into the other ingredients and it made it so that some of the rice didn't cook because the kale takes up so much space.
• Rinse the rice well under cool, running water. This keeps it from becoming gummy or sticky during the baking process.
• The rice should be completely baked before removing the lid. If the rice is still hard or not completely tender, add 5 minutes covered bake time and repeat as needed.