Mediterranean rice pilaf is a vibrant, flavorful side dish made with turmeric and toasted pine nuts. It will make any meal just a little bit tastier, and it’s so easy to make!
I’ve been making this golden rice pilaf for as long as I’ve been married… maybe longer. The secret to the “golden” part of the rice recipe is turmeric.
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Secret Ingredient to this Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf
While saffron is traditionally used in Mediterranean pilaf, turmeric is often used as a saffron substitute, as they both give the rice a beautiful golden color. Using turmeric in place of saffron yields a similar result at a fraction of the price.
Plus, turmeric is a known anti-inflammatory and has quite a few additional health benefits.
What You’ll Need
This Mediterranean rice pilaf recipe is made with basic ingredients that you probably have on hand. It’s also easily adaptable!
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, more to taste
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish
How to Make Mediterranean Yellow Rice
Begin by sautéing the onions in a pot over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add turmeric, rice, and garlic, and stir until it is well mixed, about another 2 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil.
Add 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and reduce heat to the lowest temperature. Cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. I like to use a saucepan with a glass lid so I can check on rice without lifting the lid.
When the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes.
Add toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Mediterranean Rice Pilaf Substitutions
You can easily substitute brown rice in place of the white rice, just be sure you adjust the cooking time. Because the bran is intact, brown rice can take almost twice as long as white rice to cook.
I use chicken broth for the liquid, but you can substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian or vegan side dish. And this dish is naturally gluten free.
Pine nuts add a bit of texture and protein, but you can also use slivered almonds or dried fruit. You can even add peas for color. Sometimes I add a handful of grated parmesan cheese… just because!
I often serve this with a Mediterranean Burger, Rosemary Shrimp or Lamb Sliders. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper more to taste
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan over a medium heat. Add onions, and sauté 2-3 minutes, Add rice, turmeric and garlic, and continue stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let garlic burn
- Add rice, turmeric and garlic, and continue stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let garlic burn
- Add broth and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover and cook rice until tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15-18 minutes.
- Lightly toast pine nuts until golden brown
- Stir in toasted pine nuts or almonds and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Easy Peasy Life Matters says
We love turmeric at our house! I’m so excited to give this recipe a try!! 🙂
Nancy M Padulsky says
Taking loooong to cook and my stove runs hot…almost 30 mins. Still not done!
Cynthia says
Did you double the recipe? What kind of rice did you use? I find that different rices have more starch and that could affect the cooking time.
Cynthia says
I love using basmati rice. I often double the recipe since my family loves it so much!
Cynthia says
hmm. I shouldn’t take more than 20-25 minutes to make…did you double the recipe? Did you use a tall sauce pan or one with a broader base?
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
I want to use more turmeric and this is a great way to do it! Not only do we get the health benefits, but it looks gorgeous as well! What a way to add color to a plate! Great recipe!
Maria says
WOW! Love how simple this recipe is and how much flavor is packed into it:)
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
What a great side dish! Love the color, and love the pine nuts, too 🙂 This would be perfect with so many things!
Catherine says
Dear Cynthia, what a delightful side dish…it looks beautiful and hearty. Perfect for fall. xo, Catherine
Kendra says
Can you use brown rice instead of white?? This looks delish!
Cynthia says
sure! But you’d have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Crystal says
Hello, how many does this recipe serve?
Cynthia says
Hi Crystal, It should make about 3 cups, so it could serve 6 1/2 cup portions.
Jess says
We cook all our rice in our Instant Pot, and this was so easily adapted for that. We used 2 TBS of ghee instead of the 3 TBS of fat, and turned the pot to sauté and added the onions. We then added the turmeric and garlic, and then added well-rinsed basmati rice. Admittedly we didn’t sauté the rice very long because it wet (and if you opt to sauté the rice for the 2-3 minutes, maybe toss in that extra TBS of fat). We added only 1 cup of low sodium broth (instant pot rice is usually a 1:1 ratio) and cut the salt back to about 1/4 of a tsp. We did 7 minutes for the rice (5-7 minutes for basmati seems to be a good window for us) with 10 minute natural release, and added the toasted pine nuts after. It was so freaking good! Thank you for the easy-to-follow recipe—it made it that much easier to adapt it to our preferred cooking method!
Cynthia says
Thanks for the info Jess! I have not gotten on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet!
Kate Blood says
Excellent and simple recipe! I added a bit of lemon zest at the end and might try some green olives next time!
Cynthia says
Thank you! I love your idea for a twist. Lemon juice sounds great!
Kathy W. says
This is FANTASTIC. We couldn’t stop eating it. I tend to mess with recipes after I make as written, but this is going to be made (and made and made and made!) exactly as written every time.
Cynthia says
So nice to hear that. It’s one of my family’s favorite side dishes! Thank you.
Cynthia says
thank you! So nice to hear!
Connie says
Excellent rice dish. I tried adding 1/2 cups raisins as well.
Absolutely delicious both ways.
Connie says
That was supposed to be 5 stars not 1.
The excellent says it all.
Cynthia says
aww, thanks Connie! I’ve accidentally done that as well. Thank you for amending your review.
Cynthia
Cynthia says
raisins would be great and very middle eastern!
Sheila says
Can i make this ahead of time & reheat?
Do you have any suggestions?
Cynthia says
Absolutely! I sometimes add a bit more broth when i’m reheating to prevent it from drying out.