Garlic Parmesan Rice Pilaf

A rich rice pilaf is the ultimate side dish, since it goes so well with just about any protein and/or vegetable.

We especially love it alongside honey garlic chicken and french onion pork chops, served up with some roasted vegetables!

The garlic and parmesan flavors take this rice pilaf to the next level. I mean, it’s hard to go wrong with adding those two flavors, right?

This isn’t a Rice-a-Roni copycat recipe, but it’s such a nostalgic food, for many people… and this recipe hits a lot of those same flavor notes for me, while adding extra texture, and I know exactly what’s in it. No weird and hard to pronounce ingredients!

How to make garlic parmesan rice pilaf?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Saute aromatics and pasta. In this recipe, we use butter to cook the onion, garlic, and orzo in.
2. Add rice. You can saute the rice as well, but I’ve found you still get a great texture without adding that extra step.
3. Add broth and seasonings, then simmer. After pouring in the broth and adding the seasonings, give everything a stir, cover, and cook.
4. Add cheese and fluff. Stir in the parmesan cheese, then fluff it with a fork.

Variations of this recipe

• Pasta – instead of orzo, you can try using vermicelli or thin spaghetti, broken into small pieces.
• Spices – feel free to play around with the spices and use your favorites.
• More garlic – if you’re a garlic fanatic (I’m right there with ya!), please feel free to add additional cloves of garlic, or add some garlic powder.
• More chicken flavor – to increase the chicken flavor, you could add some chicken bouillon or chicken base (chicken flavored Better than Bouillon).
• Richer flavor – sometimes I like to add an extra tablespoon of butter to the pilaf at the end of cooking, when you add the parmesan.
• Citrus – try adding the juice of about half a lemon, as well as the zest of the whole lemon, when you add the chicken broth.
• Vegetarian – to make this a vegetarian side dish, just swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth or stock!

Making cheesy rice pilaf ahead of time

While I think this recipe tastes best when made fresh, you can make it completely ahead of time if you’d like. Just reheat before serving.

You can also prep parts of this recipe ahead of time!

How to prep ahead for this recipe:

• Onion and garlic – the onion and garlic can be minced and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Rice and orzo – the rice and orzo can be measured, and kept separately at room temperature until ready to use.

Freezing

This recipe can also be frozen! Make as directed, then cool completely and transfer to a freezer-safe container.

Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator (and heat up before serving).

Storage

Leftover rice pilaf should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 days.