Personally, I find brown rice too chewy for my taste to use in many recipes.

I suppose you could partially cook the brown rice before assmebling and baking the casserole.

Linda

The more I eat brown rice, the more I find I really like it! I cook it in my pressure cooker which takes only 18 minutes to cook - not 45-50 minutes.

You might try pre-baking the brown rice, seasonings, and liquid/water for 20 minutes or so then add in the meat and vegetables and bake for another 30-40 minutes. You might have to try a couple of recipes to get the hang of it, but I think it could be done. Just be sure to set a timer for when to add in the meat!

I'd say figure out ways to make the brown rice work since it is so much better for us than white rice.

The easiest way to use it in casseroles is to make the rice and beef/chicken separately and then mix together when cooked or lay the beef/chicken on top of the rice once cooked.

I'd also look up "cooking with brown rice" online. I'm sure you'll find lots of recipes there. There are many books about cooking with grains in your library. I have one by my chair at this moment.

We all need to improve our diets, that's for sure.

Ginny

Thanks guys... looks like I just need to try some trail and error recipes. It won't be the first time that hubby and I have had to "crunch" our brown rice because I didn't cook it long enough!

It's definitely not as tasty as white rice, but we have gotten used to it.......

I much prefer brown rice toasted first. Brown the rice in some butter/olive oil combo for 10 minutes are so until nicely browned and nutty smelling. Then add liquids, garlic, nuts, dried cranberries, etc. and simmer covered until done. Plain brown rice can be gummy and unappetizing to me.

I think brown rice is much more tasty than white rice....but I do love basamati and Jasmine rice.
I was on a kick there for a while of cooking brown rice ahead and freezing or just refrigerating it ( it keeps well for about 4 days) and then just adding it to whatever....it gets over cooked I suppose....but that's not really a biggie.
There's not much that I add rice to that doesn't get cooked long ewnough to cook even wild rice.
"popping" the rice is also a great idea....fry it in a bit of oil until it sort of pops and swells a bit....then add the liquid.
Linda C

COINCIDENTLY, I was reading Mark Bittman's "Food Matters" just this morning.

On page 255, he offers "Substituting Brown Rice for White Rice in Any Recipe"...

"Bring a pot of water to a boil (as you would for pasta) and salt it. Add the amount of brown rice specified in whatever recipe you have that calls for white rice. (If the recipe calls for long grain rice, use long-grain brown rice, and so on). Boil the rice, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes. Drain and use wihtin an hour or so, or put in the fridge for up to a day. Whenever you're ready, being the recipe as usual, using the parboiled brown rice instead of white rice."

Joe

My teen son likes it like he eats oatmeal. (Brown rice that is.) Butter, cream and brown sugar.

We eat only Jasmine or Basmati..on a tip from Barnmom, I picked up some Brown Jasmine or Basmati (I don't recall which one.) and made that up one day for beans and rice. It was definately gave a new dimension of texture and taste.

Thank you garden guru.... once again... you came to my rescue!

As it should read, with corrections ....

"Bring a pot of water to a boil (as you would for pasta) and salt it. Add the amount of brown rice specified in whatever recipe you have that calls for white rice. (If the recipe calls for long grain rice, use long-grain brown rice, and so on). Boil the rice, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes. Drain and use within an hour or so, or put in the fridge for up to a day. Whenever you're ready, begin the recipe as usual, using the parboiled brown rice instead of white rice."

Joe

I would use brown rice exclusively, other than in certain recipes that I use Basmati for that is, if my husband would only eat it!! I much prefer brown rice, I love the chewy texture it has, but he hates it.

He's the bane of my cooking existence sometimes!! Loves white bread, loves white rice - two of the most boring things on earth lol!!

Lisa

Thanks, Joe, for that information.

I like brown rice much better than I like white rice, and the only white rice I use any more is in sushi. I'm working on replacing that with brown rice too, LOL.

Annie

I make a sort of brown rice pilaf with brown basmati rice and orzo. I don't sauté the rice first, although you can. I use two cups of stock (or water) with 1/2 cup of brown rice, which I bring to a boil and simmer covered for 25 minutes. Then I add 1/2 cup of orzo and simmer covered for 10 minutes more and remove from heat to let rest covered for five more minutes. Then I fluff it with a fork. I also generally add olive oil and/or butter and a few herbs, depending on what else will be served. Sometimes I add mushrooms, in which case I decrease the water a bit. You can also add salt or soup base (if you are not using stock). I like to use mushroom soup base, as this gives an intense mushroom flavor.

I keep white basmati rice on hand but am trying to cut back. I haven't yet replaced sushi rice with brown sushi rice, but I think that's a good idea.

Lars