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Home » Meals » Side Dishes » Pesto Rice

Pesto Rice

September 30, 20212 Comments

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Pesto Rice ~ The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to all sorts of dinner meals!  via @thiswifecooks

Pesto Rice ~

Creamy rice side dish with a simple and herbaceous homemade pesto.

Serve with Baked Falafel and Bell Pepper Salad.

Pesto Rice ~ The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to all sorts of dinner meals!

Table of Contents

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  • Easy Pesto Rice Recipe
  • Ingredients for Pesto Rice
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How to Make Pesto Rice
  • More Easy Rice Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Pesto Rice
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
      • For the pesto:
      • For the rice:
      • Putting it all together:
    • Nutrition

Easy Pesto Rice Recipe

I like this Pesto Rice recipe because it’s simple yet flavorful. The creamy rice and fresh pesto make a perfect combination, and it works well with so many meals. It’s also a great way to use up leftover pesto.

Making Pesto Rice is easy: cook the rice, blend the pesto with basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil, and then mix it all together. The process is quick, but the result is a satisfying side dish.

Ingredients for Pesto Rice

You will need the following:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 teaspoons garlic minced
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • salt

Ingredient Notes

  • Store-bought Pesto: To save time, substitute ½ cup of prepared store-bought pesto for homemade.
  • Rice Variety: Mild-flavored rices, like white, Basmati, or light brown, work well in this recipe and allow the pesto’s flavors to shine through.

How to Make Pesto Rice

For the pesto:
In a food processor, combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, and garlic. Pulse until the basil is coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pulse until the mixture is well blended but still retains some texture.

For the rice:
Prepare the rice according to the package directions to yield 4 cups of cooked rice. Gently fluff the rice with a fork, then set aside to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.

Putting it all together:
Stir the prepared pesto, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper into the cooked rice. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then serve warm.

Pesto Rice ~ The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to all sorts of dinner meals!

More Easy Rice Recipes You’ll Love!

  • Yellow Rice
  • Asian Mushroom Rice
  • Mexican Rice and Black Beans
  • Basmati Coconut Rice
  • BBQ Cheesy Rice

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Pesto Rice ~ The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to all sorts of dinner meals!

Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating and share your experience in the comments below. Thanks for being part of our home cooking community!

Pesto Rice ~ The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to all sorts of dinner meals!

Pesto Rice

The light and herbaceous flavors of this creamy rice dish make it a nice addition to a variety of dinner meals!
5 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: rice, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 355kcal
Author: Holly Gray
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 teaspoons garlic minced
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • salt

Instructions

For the pesto:

  • Into a food processor, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, and garlic. Pulse until the basil is coarsely chopped.Add the olive oil, vegan parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Pulse until the mixture is well blended but still has a little bit of texture.

For the rice:

  • Prepare the rice according to package directions for yielding 4 cups of cooked rice. Gently fluff the rice with a fork then set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Putting it all together:

  • Stir the prepared pesto, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper into the cooked rice. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 523mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 489IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @thiswifecooks or tag #thiswifecooks!

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Filed Under: Rice & Grains, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anaiah

    October 1, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    5 stars
    I love this pesto rice! It’s easy to make and delicious. Such a great way to make dishes even more flavorful!

    Reply
  2. Tina

    August 31, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a great idea! I’ve never thought of putting pesto of rice.

    Reply
5 from 10 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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