Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pilaf

with Quinoa, Barley, Kamut and/or Other Grains, Rices & Lentils

Is your pantry overrun with bits of whole grains? Mine too. Here's a way to use them all at once. The base recipe pairs two familiar grains (quinoa and barley) with one that may be new (kamut). But the great flexibility here is that the pilaf may be made with any blend of whole grains, rices and even lentils. It's all baked in the oven in a single dish, so easy, so colorful, so tasty. It even makes a great "whole food" food gift for the holidays! PS Would it make a great addition to the Thanksgiving table? Yes!

An Easy, Healthy Side Dish, Another Kitchen Parade Concept Recipe. Whole Food, Simply Prepared. Real Food, Fresh & Family-Approved. Just One Dish, No Mixing Required. Hearty & Filling. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Great for Food Gifts. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. So Easy, So Good!

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Cooking Brown Rice: Revelations & Evolutions

What a revelation, that first pot of Oven-Baked Brown Rice!

My goodness, that was way back in 2006! I even got permission from Cook's Illustrated to share their recipe and that was during the days when print magazines and cookbook authors were both suspicious of and threatened by the rise of food blogging: such things really did not happen.

And for a long while, I couldn’t get enough of that oven-baked brown rice – such nuttiness, such chewiness, such satisfaction. I taught everyone I knew how to cook brown rice in the oven.

But honestly? It got a little old.

So I started to add wild rice to the brown rice, that became Oven-Baked Brown Rice (updated). Once again the rice was something entirely new.

But honestly? After awhile, even that got a little old.

Still, my body hungers for whole grains and the cook in me is determined to make them easy to cook and healthy to eat.

Adapting Restaurant Recipes for Home Cooks

Have I mentioned that for some years I wrote a weekly column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch? Growing up in a five-generation newspaper family, it was so cool seeing my name in real ink, real print again!

There I learned that when readers see healthy recipes, they ask for more. Last fall, a local microbrewery called Schlafly Bottleworks shared its recipe for what it calls Three-Grain Blend.

What a great-tasting grain salad!

But the cooking technique was fussy. Who has the pots or the patience to cook three grains separately?

I wondered if my favorite easy way to cook rice in the oven would work with these new grains. Great news, it does, like a champ!

With a little variety in our whole grains, who can grow weary?

But First, What Is a Pilaf?

THE SHORT VERSION A pilaf is a one-pot rice dish (or some times a wheat dish) baked in the oven with spices and just enough liquid to cook the rice while keeping each grain separate and distinct. Vegetables and meats are some times added.

GLOBAL USAGE A pilaf = a pilau or pulao. Pilaf is the American usage, pilau and pulao are the British usages.

PRONUNCIATION Pilaf is pronounced [PEE-lof]. Pilau and pulao are pronounced [pee-lau, rhymes with sow, a mother pig].

But what makes a pilaf a pilaf, exactly?

• A pilaf is a one-pot rice dish or some times a one-pot wheat dish.
• A pilaf is baked in the oven with spices and a liquid and sometimes proteins and veggies.
• In a pilaf, the rice grains remain distinct, unlike a casserole, say, where everything smooshes together.
• Want to know more? See Wikipedia, pilafs are fascinating!

Mix 'n' Match Grains, Rices & Lentils

What makes this pilaf recipe so practical (and a concept recipe) is that any combination of grains, rices and lentils seems to work beautifully, providing variety in color, texture and taste, all in one bite, all from one dish. Ya gotta love that!

Just be sure to use at least three different things since “three” seems to be the minimum number of grains for an “interesting” pilaf.

But Black Barley and Kamut are really special, worth seeking out.

WHAT IS BLACK BARLEY? Black barley is so dramatic in color. Unlike black rice which turns muddy gray, black barley keeps its color when it’s cooked.

WHAT IS KAMUT? Kamut, oh you make my heart sing! Kamut (pronounce kuh-MOOT) is a high-protein wheat that’s nutty in flavor and chewy in texture. I read (though am no expert) that some people who are sensitive to wheat can eat kamut without trouble.

SOURCES Purcell Mountain Farms sells both black barley and kamut and for that matter, quinoa. St. Louisans, look for kamut at Whole Foods but I haven’t found a local source for black barley.

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Recipe Overview: Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pilaf

• This Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pilaf is a 100% plant-based side dish that blends at least three different whole grains (barley, kamut, quinoa plus brown rice, lentils and similar) for baking in an oven-safe casserole dish with a little oil, a few spices and water, to yield moist, flavorful whole grains.
• When to Serve = It may be served as a side dish, an "under" dish, an addition to tacos and burritos, an element in a supper salad or supper bowl with vegetables, greens and proteins.
• As written, the recipe is vegan. With careful choice of grains, it can also be gluten free.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Individual Grains + Cumin + White Pepper
• Short Ingredient List = all the above + water + salt + a fat
• The Pilaf can be quite attractive, since the grains remain distinct and separate.
• The Pilaf needs no garnish but a few fronds of fresh herbs are never unwelcome.
• Kitchen Tools = just an oven-safe casserole dish with a tight lid (although foil is a good substitute for a lid if necessary)
• This is a time-friendly pilaf, it takes only about five minutes to collect the ingredients, then it bakes in the oven entirely hands-off.
• This is pantry-friendly recipe, especially for those who tend to collect whole grains but then never get around to cooking them.
• This is a calorie-friendly, nutrient dense recipe with very little added fat.
• The pilaf starts with 1-1/2 cups of whole grains which, when baked, plump up to yield about three cups of cooked grains.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• For a simpler version, start with Oven-Baked Brown Rice or even this basic primer, How to Cook White Rice.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other side dishes.

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Whole-Food Food Gifts

One year before Christmas, I made my own blends of brown rice, kamut, black barley, white barley and then added black lentils, green lentils, Israeli couscous and quinoa; some Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend, itself a blend; then wild rice and farro and an “aged and reserved rice" that I need to learn more about, a gift from a friend. Once I added the spices and salt, it made for great food gifts!

Just package 1-1/2 cups in a freezer bag or another container with these instructions for the gift recipient. "Place grain, lentil and rice mixture in a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish, top with 2 teaspoons olive oil or butter and 3 cups boiling water. Cover with a lid or foil and bake at 375F for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and fluff with a fork, cover and let rest 5 minutes. Recipe from KitchenParade.com."

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OVEN-BAKED WHOLE-GRAIN PILAF RECIPE

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 3 cups

• 3 cups water
• A little oil, for the baking dish
• 1/2 cup barley, regular or black
• 1/2 cup kamut
• 1/2 cup quinoa, white or red
• 2 teaspoons fat (olive oil, butter, bacon grease)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

Set the oven to 375F/190C. Bring the water to a boil. (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave.)

Lightly oil a 1.5 or 2 quart baking dish. Rinse the barley, kamut and quinoa in a strainer under running water. Turn these into the baking dish then add all the remaining ingredients. Pour boiling water over top and give it all a quick stir.

Cover the baking dish with a lid or tight foil and bake for 1 hour. (If the oven isn’t fully preheated, no problem, just put it in and bake for 1 hour plus whatever time remains to preheat.)

Remove from oven, fluff with a fork, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff again.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS Serve hot or let rest and serve at room temperature. For a couple of months now, I’ve made a pot of Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pilaf every couple of weeks and keep it on hand for side dishes, a little protein in salads, a little starch in vegetable soups and – honestly – by the spoonful straight from the bowl.

ALANNA's TIPS While the base recipe calls for barley, kamut and quinoa, other grains, rices and lentils can be substituted. Just be sure to use at least three different ones, that's the minimum for an "interesting" pilaf. I find this recipe to be dependably adaptable and better still, not only with different grains, rices and lentils. One night before leaving for Thanksgiving in Texas, I sautéed a poblano, the last carrot in the fridge, some raggy looking radicchio plus a handful of dried cranberries and almonds; then stirred this into the grains (that time, brown rice, farro and quinoa) before going in the oven. It did need an extra 1-1/2 cups of water but whoah, what a pretty dish, a real medley of textures and colors and flavors. I added a protein on top and there, so little effort, was dinner.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2012/11/oven-baked-whole-grain-pilaf.html .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 147 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 394mg Sodium; 32g Carb; 5g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2 & Points Plus 4 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 3 & myWW green 4 & blue 3 & purple 0 & future WW points.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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