Maltese Baked Rice – A Delicious Comfort Food Classic

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: canned beans

Ground turkey reduces fat while canned beans are budget-friendly.

cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Nutritional yeast is lower in calories and adds a cheesy flavor.

Warm up a pan over medium heat for a few minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.

Add 1 large diced onion and 1 large diced capsicum to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened.

Add 500 grams of beef mince to the pan and season with salt and black pepper; cook until browned and broken up.

Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika powder; cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add a 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes, a 690 g jar of passata, and 1 and 1/2 cups of water to the pan; mix well.

Add 2 teaspoons of beef stock powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 bay leaf; bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C with a fan or 180°C without a fan.

In a bowl, whisk 2 eggs with a fork.

Measure out 120 grams of grated tasty cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

Measure 1 and 1/2 cups of basmati long grain rice (280 g).

Grease a baking dish measuring 30 cm by 25 cm with butter.

After 10 minutes of simmering, taste the mixture and adjust seasoning if needed.

Stir in the rice, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese into the mixture.

Pour in the whisked eggs while continuously stirring to prevent scrambling.

Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, leaving a gap at the top for the rice to expand.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove from the oven, stir gently, and remove the bay leaf.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top and return to the oven for another 30 minutes uncovered.

After the second 30 minutes, check that it feels firm and run a knife around the edge to ensure nothing is stuck.

Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it with a serrated knife.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens