Sunday, August 19, 2012

Uncle Ben's Country Inn Broccoli Rice au Gratin



On a scale of 1 - 10 I give this product a 10.  I've used Uncle Ben's rice for years and have even cooked this specific product flavor but I have never gotten creative with it until now.  The cooking directions are simple - combine rice, contents of seasoning packet, 2 1/4 cups water and 1 Tbsp. butter into a med. saucepan.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Simple enough and you have a nice side dish to serve with just about any meat.  BUT what if you make 2 simple additions and make it into a really nice side dish?  I did this by simply adding about a cup of frozen, chopped broccoli.  Followed the cooking directions on the box and just before serving I stirred in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.  These 2 additions gave me a dish that really tasted like it was homemade and not from a box.