
Creamy Baked Lemon & Dill Rice
1 hr + 15 min
Main
Make-ahead
Servings
Total
1 hr + 15 minPrep
15 minCook
1 hrContains
Free from
Ingredients
Baked rice
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5medium tomatoes, chopped
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1medium leek, chopped
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2cloves garlic, minced
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1medium onion, finely chopped
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1½ cups (300 g)uncooked short-grain white rice†
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1½ cups (268 g)cooked cannellini beans
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2bay leaves
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1 Tbsp (15 mL)olive oil
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1 tsp (2 g)chili flakes, or less for less spicy
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1 tsp (1 g)dried dill (optional)
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3 cups (720 mL)boiling water
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2vegetable bouillon cubes
Lemon and dill dressing
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1 cup (16 g)fresh dill, minced
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2 Tbsp (30 mL)olive oil
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½lemon, juiced
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½ tspsalt
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¼ tspground black pepper
Toppings
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¼ cup (34 g)roasted pine nuts
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½lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). To a large baking dish, add the tomatoes, leek, garlic, onion, rice, beans, nutritional yeast, bay leaves, oil, chili, and dried dill.
- Combine the water and bouillon cubes in a pitcher and stir to dissolve. Then pour into the baking dish and stir well.
- Tightly cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake in the oven on the center rack for 1 hour, or until the rice is al dente*. Stir once halfway.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. When the dish is done baking, remove the bay leaves, pour the dressing over the rice, and stir.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, garnish with pine nuts and lemon slices on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Short-grain white rice has the ability to absorb liquids and release starch, which makes them sticky.
- * If the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is still too firm, add a splash more vegetable stock or water and continue to bake.
- Make-ahead: add all of the ingredients, except for the liquid, to a baking dish, cover, and keep in the fridge for up to a day. When ready to bake, add the liquid, mix, and bake as directed.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Let us know what you think
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 33%
• uncooked short-grain white rice
Proteins 15%
• cooked cannellini beans
• nutritional yeast flakes
• roasted pine nuts
Fruits & Veggies 52%
• medium tomato
• medium leek
• clove garlic
• medium onion
• fresh dill
• lemon
• lemon
Calcium
No significant sources of calciumFat
• olive oil
• olive oil
• roasted pine nuts
Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
Watch it step-by-step!






Discussion & Rating
Creamy and Delicious! I definitely will make this again soon :).
As a student on a budget, I replaced the roasted pine nuts with roasted sunflower seeds, which worked very well!
Perfect for prepping during a study break and continuing for another hour knowing a delicious dinner is waiting for me as a reward.
I've made this once before and used a rice cooker to do the rice because I was short on time. I think I'm going to have the same problem tonight. Do you think it's possible to make the whole dish in the rice cooker?
Wow, i really love this dish! I added champignons which worked really well. I am definitely going to integrate this in my go to recipes :)
This is one of my favorite PUL recipes! Since discovering it, I have already made it 4 times! It’s perfect for Su day evening meal prep! Serves for dinner and lunch the next day. The creaminess with nutritional yeast is unmatched and delicious. It is so flavorful and easy to put together
This recipe made me discover how much I love oven baked rice. The flavor combinations and comforting textures in this recipe made it such a unique and yummy meal! Will definitely now be a regular dish!
Thanks so much for sharing this delight with us!
Thank you for making me save so much time and energy and still eat delicious meals! This one is great to make ahead, easy and tasty, with lots of combinations possible. Loved the rice like this! Delicious risotto-like!
Can I use white basmati rice?
Very easy to make and very delicious in taste 😋
Hello, can you use risotto rice (arborio) instead please? thank you in advance :)
Thanks for this gem, this recipe is delicious, I couldn’t stop eating. I didn’t cook it in the oven but on the stove, and it was fantastic. Thanks so much.
Was not convinced at first but tried it anyway because i really found i can trust you guys with the combination of flavours and was not disappointed - this is crazy delicious!! The creamy texture and lemony taste are really something. Don't miss out on the pine nuts, they're the best!!
Instead of leek I added a little bit of celery and zucchini. Instead of chilli flakes I added harissa sauce... I didn't have pine nuts or fresh dill, so I heated sunflower seeds for a little bit, added to a bowl with lemon juice, dried dill and pepper, processed it... and it was just amazing! Great recipe :) Thank you
It's fantastic, seafood vibe :) we added olives, recommend :)
Just made this creamy baked lemon and dill recipe and it’s amazing, best side dish ever. Love your recipes Sadia, thank you for your inspiring work.
Does this freeze well for reheating later?
One of our new favourites. Added some fennel for more veggies.
Hello Sadia, what a delicious recipe! Normally, risotto is not high on our list, but your version just moved it up quite high up the ladder 😊! Thank you!
Hey Sadia, I made this the other day for dinner and my boyfriend liked it A LOT. He said it reminded him of food he used to eat as a kid. I’d say that’s a big compliment to your recipe. It is officially a staple now.
Awesome recipe! My wife and I loved it 😁
I keep going back for seconds and thirds! This was so good. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Absolutely delicious! Thanks 😊
Just loved the recipe!
I absolutely loved this! Easy weeknight meal that my whole family ate with joy! It is so easy to make that you just can‘t do it wrong.
Absolutely delicious! One of many from this website that will go in our frequent rotation!
I did not have any pine nuts on hand, but it was amazing even without them! I added lemon zest to the dressing. I get the resemblance to a seafood dish! The entire family loved it!
Greetings from Germany
I can't wait to try this, but what could you substitute for nutritional yeast? I can't always find it at the supermarket. Note that I am not vegan but frequently cook for vegetarians, so would a cheese of some kind suffice? Perhaps sprinkled over at the end?
Sadia & PUL team, your recipes never let me down they’re almost foolproof and so versatile! Even when I have to substitute or leave out some ingredients your recipes still come out great! This one was a hit with my family. Love that it’s just one pot and all the ingredients are simple yet so flavorful. My mother-in-law law who’s vegetarian truly appreciates when someone cooks her a meat free meal and she enjoyed this dish describing it as bright flavors for summer time but warm and hearty for colder weather. Thanks for helping make eating healthy and being in the kitchen a delight!😊
Great receipt! Resembles a Greek dish called Gemista (you stuff peppers and tomatoes with the rice - vegetable mix).
I made it a few days ago, it was so good. I saw fresh dill at my grocery store and jump on the occasion !
We've done a big batch so it was fast, healthy ans tasty. Thanks for the recipe. 🌸
Absolutely delicious! Made my apartment smell amazing while it was in the oven, too! The only adjustment I made was the omit the bay leaf since the store was out. When I make this again (and I 100% will), I'd add the salt and pepper before popping the rice and beans in the oven for a deeper flavor. I also want to experiment with adding different herbs, too. I paired this with maroulosalata (Greek romaine lettuce salad), made a great meal.
Worked Amazing!!
Really good and really easy to throw together! I used chickpeas instead of cannelini beans, because I couldn't find the cannelini beans I SWORE I bought. I also used cherry tomatoes, quartered, and I just guessed how many would be approximately 5 medium tomatoes.
Served some to my mother who asked for seconds! And my brother liked it too.
It ended up being kind of gummy, and I'm not sure if that's the goal of the recipe? I think I probably added too much water, since it wasn't really covered when I added the three cups.
I made this recipe today, and it was sooo delicious!!I loved what the lemon and dill dressing did to the heartwarming rice...So simple ingredients, so much taste!!Thank you Sadya for sharing all these recipes with us! I have learned a lot since I have been following you!
Another delicious PUL recipe! I added some finely chopped mushrooms as well. Indeed super creamy and reminded me of risotto (minus the heavy weight risotto has in my stomach). In my oven it needed a little longer than the recipe stated.
I used the same rice I bought for the shola, which I definitely recommend if you liked this recipe!
Amazing!
has become a staple! Love your recipes and your vibe!<3
This looks so delicious! I’ve only got long grain white rice here at the moment, but so desperate to try it. Do you think it will work and should I adjust the amount of liquid or cooking time?
I substituted dill with sage since my supermarket was out of dill and I just did not put any herbs in the dressing. But oh my gosh this is AMAZING with sage too. Definitely going in my recipe rotation and super excited to try it with dill when I can finally find it.
I substituted dill with thyme. Dill is not in season where I live. I also added a cup of white whine when I saw it needed more liquid. It was absolutely amazing. I was surprised about how good and simple this recipe is. Thanks
this is actually so amazing. so beyond tasty wow i love it so much
This recipe stood out! Original and very tasty :)
What a wonderful combination! My new favorite risotto recipe, so easy to make and so delicious. Thank you so much for your work and the passion you put into it!
This will definitely become a regular weeknight dinner for me! I especially loved the lemon and dill dressing, thank you so much for this recipe <3
So delicious! It’s light and creamy and so filling. More lemon juice = zestier. Less lemon juice = more savory from the vegetable bouillon.
So delicious! Easy to prep in advance and then just added the liquid and baked! I added some chopped artichokes I had on hand. Looking forward to adapting with different seasonal veggies throughout the year.
Really yummy! Was keen to cook with dill as I’d never done that before and this was a gentle introduction to dill 🙂 I used white basmati rice because I didn’t have risotto rice but it still turned out great.
I think this is my new favorite recipe!! It was so delicious and easy to make. Love the flavor combination. :)
I love risotto and this oven baked version blew me away with how easy and delicious it was! Who needs all the steps and stirring when you can put it all in the oven and wait?! I absolutely loved this flavour combo. ❤️
I'm making the transition to a dairy free diet and this was my first time using nutritional yeast. I didn't expect this dish to turn out so creamy! My husband was convinced I'd added heaps of butter to it! Also, I love feeding myself and my family a nutritious meal even on busy days and since this was so hands-off, it fit the bill perfectly :)
So delicious, was super hands-off and the flavors were incredible!
So so good! Prepped it Sunday night so I could literally just dump it in a pan and add the liquid when I got home from work on a Monday. It was absolutely delicious! A new favourite for sure!
Can’t wait to try it! Looks delicious.
Incredible!!! So yummy and easy to make. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers and will be adding this into the meal rotation.
Soo easy. Soo delicious 🙏🏻. Keep them coming please
Seriously worth the 1 hour wait. Yummy and filling 🥰 A great recipe for all dill fans out there 👌
I was desperate to try this because I love dill but I knew I wouldn't have time so I cooked the rice in the rice cooker with the bouillon cubes and when I got back I did the rest on the stove and stirred in the cooked rice. It was so tasty! The dressing really makes the dish. I can't wait to try this again in the oven.
Absolutely delicious!!! I cslant believe how well balanced and savory this is. The dressing is the perfect addition. I didn't have a leek so I used mushrooms instead
This was delicious but it was a bit overcooked at one hour and starting to stick to the pan (and totally ran out of liquid). Next time I will be sure to check it at the 45-minute mark. Lovely, unique recipe!
I pride myself in making a good risotto but this blew me away, it is so delicious and creamy and so much easier to make. I'm usually not a big fan of dill but it just balances out all the flavours perfectly. Thank you for creating all these delicious and accessible recipes.
Loved the dish especially with the dressing. Thank you for the recipe :)
I made this dish today for lunch (except the chili flakes, but put sweet red pepper instead) and it really is delicious! I tried it first without dressing (lemon, oil, dill) and it was good, but after adding the dressing the flavours just intensified! Thank you for this recipe, I will surel make it often! :)
So delicious and prep was very quick! I substituted parsley for dill and used basmati rice as I only had these on hand, still worked beautifully. Will definitely make this again, thank you PUL :-)
Hi :) Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones?
This was excellent! I am thoroughly enjoying eat it on my back porch. I cut back the red pepper flakes to 1/2 tsp. Glad I did! Followed everything else to perfection!
Hello,
What herbs can I use instead of the dill?
Can you use brown rice instead?