Stick of Butter Rice – This savory, buttery rice that fluffs to perfection after baking in the oven is sure to become one of your all-time favorite rice dishes. Rice baked in homemade French onion soup takes plain old rice to the next level of deliciousness. 🤩
When you start feeling a little ho-hum about serving rice as a side dish (again), that’s precisely when you need to make stick of butter rice. This rice isn’t plain buttered rice, though; it’s a baked dish that cooks the rice in all French onion soup’s rich flavors. Add the whole stick of butter to that, and you’ve got a ridiculously indulgent side dish.
Another thing to love about this dish is that it’s baked. No need to watch your rice on the stovetop; just pop it in the oven, set the timer, and get on with the main course. So nice and easy! 😅
Homemade French Onion Soup for Stick-of-Butter Rice
Ok, there are loads of recipes involving a can of French onion soup, but let me just advocate for homemade French onion soup for a minute. It’s so easy because all the ingredients are pantry staples, and the flavor will blow canned soup out of the water.
Honestly, making this soup from scratch only takes about half an hour, but it’s a pretty hands-off process, making it completely worth it. Try when you’ve got a few extra minutes, and see if you don’t notice a huge difference in flavor. 🙌
Recipe Ingredients
- French Onion Soup Ingredients – Ok, this is the most complex part of the recipe but the most delicious. You’ll need olive oil, onions, flour, white wine, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, and beef consommé or stock. I love how these simple ingredients make something so mouthwatering! 🤤
- Rice – Any white long-grain white rice works for this recipe. Just a note: If you’re using short or medium-grain rice, you may need to reduce the cooking time just a tad.
- Butter – As the recipe’s name implies, you’ll need one whole stick of butter. 😉
How to Make Stick of Butter Rice Recipe
Make the French Onion Soup
- Caramelize Onions – In a Dutch oven, add olive oil and cook sliced onions on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let it cook, stirring constantly until the onions reach a deep rich brown color or are caramelized.
- Make Roux – Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two, long enough to remove the raw flour taste. (Photo 1)
- Add Wine – Stir in the wine while deglazing the bottom of the pan to remove the tasty browned bits.
- Season – Throw in the bay leaves, garlic, and thyme sprigs and give it a quick stir. (Photo 2)
- Soup Base – Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Then simmer for another 10-15 minutes uncovered—season with salt and pepper. You should have about 2½ cups of onion soup. (Photos 3-4)
- Adjust to taste and take out the bay leaves.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat Oven – While your onion soup is simmering, preheat your oven to 400℉/205℃.
- Assemble – Stir in the rice and 2½ cups of onion soup in an 8″x8″ baking dish. Stir well. (Photo 5)
- Add Butter – Top with pats of butter, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. (Photo 6)
- Finish Baking – Remove foil, fluff to evenly distribute the rice, and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve – Enjoy your stick of butter rice on its own or as a side to your favorite veggies or proteins.
Recipe Variations
- Quicker Meal: Ok, so homemade French onion soup is my favorite, but I’m a realist. Sometimes life doesn’t let you spend a nice night in the kitchen, glass of wine in hand. Ten ounces of condensed French onion soup, ten ounces of beef broth, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce will speed things up. Add them to your rice with your stick of butter and pop it into the oven.
- Vegetarian Version: Swap out beef broth for vegetable broth, and you’ve got an extra tasty vegetarian side dish.
- Cheesy Goodness: After uncovering the rice, feel free to top it with your favorite shredded cheese. Gruyere or Parmesan are two of my favorite options. 👌
Tips and Tricks
- Grease your baking dish if you’re worried about it sticking. I haven’t had an issue with this, but the butter doesn’t melt as soon as it goes in the oven. So there is a slight possibility the rice could stick. If you suspect this might happen, just give the dish a quick once over with your favorite non-stick cooking spray.
- You can use a round 9-inch baking dish if you don’t have an 8-inch square dish.
- Don’t skip the foil. Cooking 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered is the key to evenly cooked, moist rice, so no cheating. If you cook it uncovered the whole time, your rice will likely dry out.
- Give it a good fluff before serving. As it cools, the top of the rice can become a little dry or at least less moist than the bottom. Fluffing the rice will help redistribute the moisture before you serve.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can certainly make this rice ahead of time and reheat it before serving. It should stay good for 2-3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. You could also make the French onion soup the day before to save a little time. Simply assemble and bake the next day when you’re ready to get cooking.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve stick-of-butter rice piping hot and garnished with some freshly chopped parsley if you’d like. You can refrigerate any leftover rice in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat it by adding a couple of teaspoons of water to the rice and microwaving it in a covered dish.
FAQs
Depends on how you like the texture. Your rice will be slightly stickier if you don’t rinse it. And it will be fluffier and separate easier if you do. I usually rinse my rice to prevent clumping.
Sure, but the cooking time will be about 30 minutes longer. Just keep an eye on it to ensure it’s done before you take it out to serve.
If you’ve ever struggled to get rice right on the stovetop, you need to try baking it. There’s no need to check the rice constantly to see if it’s tender enough. Just set a timer and look forward to perfectly cooked rice every time. 💯
What Goes With Stick of Butter Rice
This rice goes great with any protein! I love complementing its beefy goodness with a tasty beef tenderloin roast or a slow cooker pot roast. It also goes great with veggies, like sauteed Brussels sprouts, grilled squash, or green beans and bacon. 😋
More Scrumptious Rice Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Kids and adults alike agree stick of butter rice is one of the most luxuriously delicious rice recipes. Give it a try and see if you don’t agree! Already made it? Let me know how it turned out for you in the comments. 🫶
Watch How to Make It
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Stick of Butter Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large white onions, thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 3½ cups beef stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 stick butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, add olive oil and cook sliced onions on medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and let it cook, stirring constantly until the onions reach a deep rich brown color or are caramelized.
- Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, enough to remove the raw flour taste.
- Stir in the wine while scraping the bottom of the pan to remove browned bits.
- Throw in the bay leaves, garlic, and thyme, and give it a quick stir.
- Add beef stock, and bring to a boil. Then simmer for another 10-15 minutes uncovered—season with salt and pepper. Adjust to taste and take out the bay leaves.
- While your onion soup is simmering, preheat your oven to 400℉ (205℃).
- You should have about 2½ cups of onion soup.
- To an 8"x8" baking dish, add the rice and 2½ cups of onion soup and stir well.
- Top with cubed butter, then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil, fluff to evenly distribute the rice and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Enjoy your stick of butter rice on its own or as a side to your favorite veggies or proteins.
Tips & Notes:
- Grease your baking dish if you’re worried about it sticking. I haven’t had an issue with this, but the butter doesn’t melt as soon as it goes in the oven. So there is a slight possibility the rice could stick. If you suspect this might happen, just give the dish a quick once over with your favorite non-stick cooking spray.
- You can use a round 9-inch baking dish if you don’t have an 8-inch square dish.
- Don’t skip the foil. Cooking 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered is the key to evenly cooked, moist rice, so no cheating. If you cook it uncovered the whole time; your rice will likely dry out.
- Give it a good fluff before serving. As it cools, the top of the rice can become a little dry or at least less moist than the bottom. Fluffing the rice will help redistribute the moisture before you serve.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
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