Description
This delicious Baked Kale Rice with Halloumi is a comforting and hearty dish featuring arborio rice baked with onions, lemon, thyme, and kale purée, topped with golden slices of halloumi cheese. The recipe combines creamy, starchy rice with vibrant greens and crispy kale, perfect for a flavorful vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice and Onion Mixture
- 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 cup (190 grams) arborio rice
- 1 lemon, skin peeled into 8 strips then finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon juice
Other Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 large bunch (about 10 ounces) Tuscan kale (also known as cavolo nero or dinosaur kale), leaves stripped from stems and roughly chopped into 2-inch pieces (stems discarded)
- 7 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 6 slices
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake Onions and Toast Rice: In a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet or baking dish, combine the chopped onions, 1/2 cup olive oil, thyme, salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Bake for 15 minutes until the onions are translucent and nearly softened. Stir in the arborio rice and chopped lemon peel, then bake for an additional 10 minutes to toast the rice.
- Cook Kale and Prepare Stock: In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Add garlic and chopped kale and cook for 3 minutes until kale is just cooked. Drain the kale through a colander set over a bowl to reserve both the cooked kale and stock.
- Prepare Crispy Kale: Transfer one-third of the cooked kale to a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat, and spread evenly in a single layer. Set aside.
- Make Kale Purée: Place the remaining cooked kale, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the reserved stock into a blender and purée until smooth.
- Bake Rice further and Add Kale Purée: Stir the remaining reserved stock into the rice mixture and bake for another 15 minutes, until the rice is al dente and most liquid absorbed. Stir well to create a starchy sauce, then mix in the kale purée. Top the rice with halloumi slices and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Final Bake: Return the skillet with halloumi and the baking sheet with kale to the oven. Cook for 12 minutes until the halloumi softens and the extra kale crisps up. Remove from oven.
- Serve: Sprinkle the crispy kale over the rice, drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and serve straight from the baking dish.
Notes
- Using a shallow, wide baking dish or cast-iron skillet helps achieve better coloring on the halloumi.
- If you prefer a vegetarian dish, substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock.
- Ensure kale is well drained before blending to avoid a watery purée.
- Baking the rice in stages allows it to toast, cook evenly, and absorb the flavorful stock and kale purée.
- For a crispier texture on the kale, spread it in a single layer without overcrowding on the baking sheet.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 52 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: baked kale rice, halloumi recipe, vegetarian main course, arborio rice dish, Tuscan kale recipe, healthy baked rice, Mediterranean vegetarian
