Rice with consommé and French onion soup is a savory baked side dish made with long-grain rice, canned soups, and butter. As it bakes, the rice absorbs the beefy, onion-rich liquid, making a comforting casserole that pairs well with roast meats, vegetables, or a simple salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (185 g) uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) condensed beef consommé, undiluted
- 1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) condensed French onion soup, undiluted
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (4 g) chopped fresh parsley, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven and prepare the dish. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter a 2-quart baking dish, or use a similar-size casserole with a snug-fitting lid. If your dish has no lid, have a sheet of heavy-duty foil ready to cover it tightly.
- Combine the rice and liquids. Add the uncooked rice, undiluted consommé, undiluted French onion soup, melted butter, and black pepper to the baking dish. Stir slowly until the rice is spread evenly and no clumps are stuck together. Scrape the corners and bottom so the rice is submerged in the soup mixture. Do not add water: these condensed soups provide the liquid and seasoning for this version.
- Cover and bake. Cover the dish with its lid or seal it firmly with foil. Bake for 60 minutes without stirring. Keeping the cover on traps steam, which cooks the rice evenly; lifting it repeatedly lets moisture escape and can leave the grains firm. If your oven runs hot or the dish is especially shallow, begin checking at 55 minutes.
- Check the rice. Carefully uncover the dish, watching for escaping steam. Taste a few grains from the center. The rice should be tender, with most of the liquid absorbed. If the center is still firm and the dish looks dry, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) hot water, cover again, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes. If the rice is tender but a little loose, leave it covered off the heat; it will continue to absorb liquid as it rests.
- Rest, fluff, and serve. Let the casserole stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork, taking care not to mash the rice, then taste before adding any salt because canned soups can already be quite salty. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve warm.
Tips
- Use the right rice. Ordinary long-grain white rice is the most reliable choice here. It cooks within the stated time and stays relatively separate when fluffed. Brown rice, wild rice, instant rice, and short-grain rice need different amounts of liquid or different cooking times, so they are not direct swaps in this recipe.
- Keep the soups undiluted. The recipe relies on condensed consommé and condensed French onion soup straight from the cans. Adding the water suggested on a soup label would make the casserole too wet. If your soup is not condensed, check its label and use a version with a similar concentrated consistency, or expect to adjust the liquid and baking time.
- Cover it well and resist stirring. A tight cover is important because steam cooks the rice. Foil should be crimped around the dish rather than simply laid across the top. Stirring during baking releases steam and can make the grains cook unevenly; mix everything thoroughly before the dish goes into the oven instead.
- Adjust salt only at the end. Consommé and onion soup vary in saltiness, and salted butter can push the dish over the edge. Unsalted butter gives you more control. Taste after resting, then season lightly if needed. For a less rich casserole, use 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter; the rice will still cook, but the finish will be less buttery.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this rice as a side while it is hot and freshly fluffed. Its rich, savory flavor works particularly well with simply seasoned roast chicken, pork chops, steak, or meatloaf. Because the rice is already buttery and onion-forward, a straightforward main dish usually makes a better pairing than another heavily sauced or salty one.
For a balanced plate, add a green vegetable such as steamed broccoli, green beans, or roasted asparagus. A crisp salad with a tangy vinaigrette also cuts through the casserole’s richness. If you are serving a group, bring the covered baking dish to the table and spoon portions from the edges toward the center, where the rice may stay warmest and moistest.
Variations
Add mushrooms. Brown 8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms in a skillet with 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter, then let them cool briefly before stirring them into the rice mixture. Cooking them first helps drive off excess moisture and gives them more flavor. The casserole may need an additional 5 minutes in the oven, so check the rice for tenderness before serving.
Make it vegetarian. Replace the beef consommé with a concentrated vegetable consommé or a rich vegetable broth, and check that the French onion soup is made without beef stock. A broth in place of condensed consommé will taste lighter and may be less salty, so the finished rice will have a gentler, less beefy flavor. Keep the total liquid close to the amount in the original recipe and avoid adding salt until you taste it.
Use a different rice base carefully. If you want to try brown rice, treat it as a separate adaptation rather than a simple substitution: brown rice generally needs more liquid and a longer bake, and canned soup can make it difficult to judge the final texture. For the most dependable result, cook the brown rice separately according to its package directions and serve the onion-consommé mixture as a sauce over it.
Finish with herbs or cheese. Parsley adds a fresh note without changing the basic flavor. Chopped chives are another good garnish. For a richer, gratin-like finish, sprinkle up to ½ cup (50 g) shredded Swiss or Gruyère over the cooked rice and place the uncovered dish under the broiler briefly, watching closely until the cheese melts. This is an optional topping, not part of the covered rice-cooking time.
Storage and Reheating
Transfer leftovers to a shallow, airtight container and refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking. The rice keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Do not leave the casserole at room temperature for an extended period, and do not store it in the switched-off oven to keep it warm.
Reheat only the portion you plan to eat. For the microwave, place rice in a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle on 1 to 2 teaspoons of water per cup of rice, cover loosely, and heat in short intervals, stirring once so it warms evenly. On the stovetop, warm it in a covered pan over low heat with a small splash of water, stirring gently. For a larger amount, cover the rice in an oven-safe dish and heat at 325°F (163°C), adding a little water if it seems dry. USDA FSIS guidance is to reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C); check the center with a food thermometer.
You can freeze the cooled rice in airtight, freezer-safe portions for about 2 to 3 months for best quality. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then reheat to 165°F (74°C). The grains may be softer after freezing, but a small splash of water and gentle stirring help restore a moist texture. Avoid repeatedly cooling and reheating the same batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I cook the rice before baking it?
No. Use uncooked long-grain white rice; it cooks in the covered casserole as it absorbs the soup mixture. Starting with cooked rice would change the liquid balance and can leave you with a mushy dish. Measure the rice dry, spread it evenly in the dish, and make sure it is covered by the liquid before baking.
Should I add water to the canned soups?
No, not when using condensed soups as written here. Add both cans straight from the can, without diluting them. The combined soups provide the moisture for the rice, and water added according to the soup label would make the casserole too loose. If you have a ready-to-serve, non-condensed soup, it is not an exact substitute.
Can I make this recipe ahead?
For the best texture, bake it shortly before serving. You can measure the rice and seasonings and have the cans and baking dish ready in advance, but avoid leaving uncooked rice sitting in the soup mixture for hours; it will begin absorbing liquid before it reaches the oven and may cook unevenly. A fully baked casserole can be refrigerated and reheated, though the rice will be softer than when freshly made.
Why is my rice still hard or my casserole watery?
Hard rice often means steam escaped through a loose cover, the oven temperature ran low, or the dish was removed before the center finished cooking. Reseal it, add a little hot water if the mixture looks dry, and bake in 5- to 10-minute increments. Watery rice may need more covered baking time if the grains are still firm; if the grains are already tender, let it rest covered for 10 minutes so they can absorb more liquid.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes, but use a larger, fairly shallow baking dish rather than piling the mixture deep in a small casserole. Double every ingredient and leave enough room for the rice to expand. The baking time may be longer, so check the center for tenderness rather than relying only on the clock. Keep the dish covered while it bakes and let it rest before fluffing.
Can I use chicken consommé instead of beef consommé?
Yes. Chicken consommé gives the rice a milder flavor, while beef consommé makes the result more robust and savory. Keep the amount the same and leave the French onion soup undiluted. Since brands differ in seasoning, taste the finished rice before adding salt, and choose a consommé with a concentrated consistency so the liquid ratio stays close to the recipe.
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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes
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