Longhorns Rice Pilaf
Bring the classic steakhouse side dish home with this copycat Longhorn Steakhouse rice pilaf recipe. This seasoned rice is light, fluffy, and sautéed for that signature buttery flavor. Using pre-cooked rice keeps the grains separate and never sticky for true restaurant-style texture.Use 4 cups of cooked rice for this recipe. For best results, start with our Rice Cooker White Rice or Steamed White Rice recipes.
Servings: 8
Calories: 137kcal
Equipment
- Calphalon Classic Oil-Infused 12-inch Fry Pan and Cover, Dark Gray
Ingredients
For the Pilaf
- 4 cups Cooked Rice Pre-cooked rice, stove top or rice cooker.
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon onion diced white or yellow
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon parsley fresh, minced
Instructions
Make Longhorns Rice pilaf
- Toast the rice you'll be steaming first in a dry skillet on medium heat. Just to get a bit of gold hue to the rice. Then, prepare the rice ahead of time using the instructions on the package or below.
- Cool the rice in the refrigerator after cooking. You want it to be cold before you saute it with the aromatics and vegetable to make it a pilaf.
- Using a large skillet, heat the olive oil, saute the onion, bell pepper, and the minced garlic until soft and translucent. Be careful not to scorch the garlic, as it will add a bitter taste to the pilaf.¼ cup red bell pepper, 2 tablespoon onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the cold or cooled rice, crumbling it up as you add it to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium high, stirring frequently to prevent any scorching. Add one extra tablespoon of oil if needed.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. After the rice has golden brown specks add the minced parsley and toss. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.2 tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
How to Steam Rice
- Rinse the rice under cool or cold water for about 30 seconds. Long grain rice does not have much of a starchy coating, so 30 seconds is usually enough.
- Measure the required water into a 2 quart sauce pan. Add the salt and the rinsed rice to the water in the saucepan. Bring to a quick boil for 1 minute.
- Cover with a lid. Reduce heat and cook on low for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set COVERED for an additional 10 minutes. Don't remove the cover during this unheated 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice and let cool in the refrigerator so that you can make the pilaf when the rice is cooled.PRO TIP: Any fried rice or rice pilaf is easier to make when using cooled, cooked rice. This is because the refrigeration process turns the non resistant starch into resistant starch, and it's less gluey, or sticky. This prevents the rice from sticking to skillets when either frying it or sauteing it for pilaf.
Notes
- Toast the raw rice: Don’t skip this step. Lightly toasting the rice before cooking adds flavor and helps keep the grains separate.
- Start with cold rice: Cold, cooked rice holds its shape better and won’t turn sticky when sautéed.
- Cook the aromatics first: Sauté the onion, garlic, and any vegetables until softened before adding the rice so the flavor builds properly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Too much rice at once will steam instead of sauté. Work in batches if needed.
- Add liquid a little at a time: If the rice seems dry, stir in a small amount of warm broth until it loosens up without getting soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.3mg
