This simple Pesto Rice will make your meals stand out, not just because of the vibrant green color but most especially because of the delicious taste it adds making plain rice an amazing rice.

Today we’re going to do a simple easy twist to our regular white steam rice. We are making it stand out, we are making it amazing, we are making it a rice that you and your friends will love to eat. Forget about the carbs for now and let’s just enjoy this Pesto Rice.

How to Make Pesto Rice

Simple. Plain steamed white rice + spoonful of fresh homemade Pesto = instant amazing Pesto Rice. This is a kind of formula that I like, simple and easy.

Tips of Making Pesto Rice

• Use Hot Rice: Newly cooked rice are perfect but a left over rice will work too. Simply microwave the rice then transfer it to a bowl. The key to evenly distributing the Pesto without making it turn brown is to NOT cook the Pesto. This is why a newly cooked rice or any hot rice is advisable. The steam will help the mixing of the pesto easier while retaining the vibrant green color of the Pesto. NEVER cook the Pesto because this will make the Pesto turn brown when subjected to too mun heat.
• Homemade Fresh Pesto is always better than store-bought. That in terms of taste and freshness. Making Pesto at home is a very simple and easy process, click HERE for my Spinach Pesto recipe, I even have a separate post with Tips on How to retain the vibrant green color of pesto.
• Do NOT mix the Pesto while cooking the rice: This is a lesson learned for me. When I first made this, I thought mixing the pesto while cooking the rice will be a better option. I was wrong big time. The rice turned out dark green because of the pesto being cooked in high heat. It was still edible, but it was not pleasing to the eye. The one I have in the photo have vibrant green color, looks very fresh and inviting to eat. That is how you want it to be.

Ratio of Rice to Pesto

I find that 2 1/2 tbsp of Pesto to every 1 cup of rice is a good balance, but you can definitely adjust this to your preference. You don’t even have to be exact, once you feel that the rice is coated with enough Pesto, then that’s good enough to go. Different kind of rice may require different amount of Pesto. For this recipe I used Basmati long grain rice. Ok, let’s do this. Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Pesto (Homemade or Store-bought)
• 2 cups Cooked Basmati Long Grain Rice

Instructions:

Cook the rice as per package  instruction. Leave the rice few minutes (about 15 minutes) before transferring it to a bowl. This will allow the rice to finish cooking and slightly dry out the rice. Transfer the cooked rice in a bowl, and while still hot add 2 1/2 tbsp of Pesto to 1 cup of rice. If making a large batch, just add more Pesto. You can easily adjust it to your preference. Mix until the rice is coated with Pesto, add more as needed to coat he rice. Transfer in a serving bowl, and sprinkle some paprika on top (optional)

Serves 2

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