Christmas (Tree!) Baked Rice

I am literally still laughing about this recipe. The whole way out of preschool my four year old was saying, " I am having Christmas tree for dinner!" to all his friends. Love! I read in EveryDay Magazine about the idea of switching out rosemary for pine. I loved the idea! So, I set out to create a recipe using it and came up with Christmas (Tree!) Baked Rice.

Here's What You Need: (4 Side Servings)*

1 cup uncooked rice*
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Zuchini, chopped roughly
2 cups baby carrots
1 TBS Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp seasoning (I used Penzey's Mural of Flavor)
1 tsp butter
1/4-1/2 tsp pine needles, chopped finely
1 TBS low sodium broth (optional)
Parmesan
S+P

Here's What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 450. Cook the rice according to the package instructions al dente. Coat the vegetables in the olive oil and seasoning and bake about 15 minutes, tossing occassionally. Stir in the butter,  pine, cooked rice, and optional broth. Top with 1/4 cup of parmesan and salt and pepper and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve right away.

*I used arborio rice, but you can use any kind of white rice or even orzo.  You can easily make this into an entree, by doubling it.

Kid Tip:

My little guy loved the idea of eating the Christmas tree, so ham that up! You can also feel free to sub in any vegetables they prefer. If you don't have any pine on hand or don't feel comfortable with it, you can use rosemary or thyme.

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