An easy and extremely tasty baked rice dish. The chewy rice and spicy harissa cabbage are a match made in heaven.

I came up with this recipe on a mid-week evening. It was late, I needed something to eat, but I didn’t want to make much effort – and so the one tray baked rice was born. This has been a saviour for me on many a night when I couldn’t be bothered with the washing up. Leftovers I leave in the tray and bung in the fridge so there is minimal cleaning… lazy I know.

Whilst this recipe was born out of lethargy, it tastes incredible. Plus it’s wonderfully complex look can fool friends and family into believing it was terribly difficult…. the perfect dish.

Other baked rice vegetable combos

I love baking rice, I find it a super simple way to prepare great rice with little fuss and effort. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook rice with mixed vegetables look no further, baked rice is your answer. Instead of plain and boring rice simply mixed with assorted vegetables, baked rice is actually enhanced by the vegetables.

The premise is simple, first roast your vegetable in oil, salt and spices. When cooked, mix in the rice, stock and roast further until the rice is cooked. It simple and saves on washing up – plus it tastes delicious. Looking for other vegetable combos to try using this method, here’s a few to get you going:

• Roast squash with thyme and sumac + brown basmatti
• Calabrese broccoli with miso and chilli + jasmine rice
• Carrot with orange and maple syrup + wild rice mix

It’s really that simple – why not try inventing a baked rice combo yourself and let me know how it goes!

Not sold on baked rice? Don’t worry I’ve got a wonderful recipe for traditionally cooked Mediterranean spiced rice which teaches you how to infuse plain rice with tons of flavour.

What is Hispi Cabbage?

Hispi cabbage is a type of pointed cabbage. This is exactly as it sounds – a cabbage that grows into a point. Pointed cabbage are more compact than other brassicas. The leaves grow closer together and are tender than normal cabbage. This makes hispi a perfect brassica for roasting or searing. The closer leaves mean it holds it shape much better and offer a much better “bite” with the cooked vegetables.

Are you crazy for pointed cabbage like me? Well check out this recipe for charred sweetheart cabbage which is sure to make any brassica lover bonkers!

When to eat Hispi Cabbage

Hispi cabbage is in season from late May until October. Outside these months try using other cabbages as a replacement in this recipe. I’ve found January king cabbages work great as well.

One-Tray Baked Rice With Harissa Hispi Cabbage

An easy and extremely tasty baked rice dish. The chewy rice and spicy harissa cabbage are a match made in heaven.

4.35 from 58 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Course Main Course

This meal is around 88% less polluting than the average UK meal.

Eating this recipe will save around 2.59 KG CO2e per person.

That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 21.44 KM in a modern car.

How do I calculate this?

Ingredients

• 300 g Basmati Rice (rinsed under water a few times until the water is clear)
• 1 Head Hispi Cabbage (quartered lengthways)
• 100 g Spring Onions (finely sliced)
• 600 ml Vegetable Stock
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Harissa Paste
• 1 Medium Lemon (juiced)
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 20 g Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 200°c/390°f (fan oven).
• In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of harissa paste, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 4 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place the quartered hispi cabbage and 100g sliced spring onions in a large deep baking tray. Pour over the harissa mixture and toss well with the cabbage and onions until everything is evenly coated. Place into the oven an roast for 20 minutes until the cabbage starts to blacken on the outside.
• Remove the cabbage from the oven. Pour the basmati rice into the baking tray, making sure to arrange it evenly around the cabbage. Mix together the 600ml of vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric. Pour the vegetable stock into the baking tray and give it a little shake to seat the rice evenly.
• Place the tray back into the oven and roast for 13- 15 minutes or until all the stock has evaporated. After roasting your rice should be soft but still have a decent bite to it. Remove the tray from the oven and cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This will allow the rice to further soften and plump up.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top of the rice before serving.

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