Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

A lot of times I have a hard time coming up with side dishes.  I work so hard to plan the main dishes of my meals out that by the time I go back to fill in side dishes I am ready to be done with my grocery list.  This one is one that we keep coming back to.  I just love it.  It is easy.  Once you stick it in the oven you don't have to do much to it so you can concentrate on the rest of your meal.  Sometimes rice is a little finicky.  I don't always have the patience to wait for it to cook completely on the stove so I love that you can just throw this in the oven and it comes out perfectly cooked every time.

We always add more garlic to the recipe.  I also like that it is an easy recipe to halve or double depending on your needs.

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

(Source: What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen?)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup long-grain white rice

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*.

Heat butter in a skillet; add garlic and rice and cook until both are golden brown.

Add 1 cup of broth and the salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil and pour into a covered casserole; bake for 25 minutes.

Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups broth; cook for another 45 minutes.

**This can be doubled without increasing the cooking time.