Pomegranate Baked Rice and Onions With Dill Recipe (2024)

I made a half recipe last night. Amazing! I, too, thought that 90 minutes sounded way too long, but I am here to say it is perfect. The onions turn all jammy, the rice was moist and tart with the pomegranate and dill flavors, and the nice crunch of the pine nuts. In fact, I can see making the rice even without the onions for a side dish. I highly recommend taking the time to try this recipe!!!

Can this dish be made with short grain brown rice?

My oven would have overcooked this had I gone the whole 90mins. So I did 40 mins covered and 20 uncovered and it was perfect. Really delicious, and looks amazing.Feel free to adjust the times based on your own ovens.

The cooks in my kitchen at home, including me, are always grateful to Melissa Clark for the recipes she produces which we so enjoy cooking to keep us well and mindfully fed and along with the recipes we are also grateful what what she teaches us along the way, as in the news article that accompanies this one. Almonds or pistachios subbed for pine nuts at our house, this is a winner!

If were making it ahead of time, I would prepare it through Step 6 and wait until just before baking to add the pom juice mixture. That way the rice won't absorb the juice and dry out during baking.

Looks and sounds amazing. I will try it tonight. 90ish minutes at 400F seems too long, covered or uncovered.

I made this for dinner with fried salmon chunks the rice was delish rich in color with a mellow sweet taste with the flavor fro all the o nions. One thing I would do differently is to use less butter the end result was a little greasy.

Short grain brown rice worked fine, with a bit more of the onion broth absorbed at the stov- top stage. I found the recipe way too sweet, though. If I make this again, I would use just a touch of honey and a quarter of the fat.

I halved the recipe last night as a trial before Passover. The end result was worth the effort. It was unusually spiced and spicy with a sweetness that did not overwhelm. I wasn't going to pay $99/lb for pine nuts so I used raw pistachios. In step 5 I ended up using most of the onion broth so I subbed chicken broth in step 7. I forgot to buy fresh dill so I used dried dill. It was worth the effort!

This would be such a welcome addition to our Seder but I would need to make it ahead and then reheat. Comments yay or nay would be greatly appreciated.

I only used olive oil to make it vegan; and to make it hearty I added 1/2 cup of par cooked brown lentils before baking. Otherwise I followed everything. It all tasted so good and the onions were soft and sweet. I shop at an Iranian market so the ingredients were very easy to find and inexpensive.

Would love guidance on making this in advance and baking before serving. Also any tips for doubling the recipe to serve 12.

For any sodium-sensitive people considering this recipe, this is a high-sodium dish, clocking in at around 700 mg per serving (and I don't know if the portions are realistic---the NYT food section often seems to assume unrealistically small servings). If this is a side dish, the meal is going to be too high in sodium, at least for someone like me. I would cut down on the salt.Also, although the recipe says this could serve as a meatless main course, it would be pretty low-protein.

Tom, you've got to watch it; don't walk away and leave it alone for 15 minutes. "Cook, stirring occasionally, … If the mixture starts to stick to the pan, add another tablespoon or two of onion broth." You will have plenty of time to wander off later in the process as the casserole bakes. It's not 2 1/2 solid hours of hard labor.

Replying to Katy - allergic to dill - I usually sub a combo of mint and chives instead with good results.

I LOVE this dish, and it's always a hit at parties (vegan, and GF if you leave out the butter, and also delicious even for this omnivore). I sub (home-made) vegan butter, and agree with 4-5 Tbls to cut down on the oiliness. I also sub 1/3-1/2 of the rice with red lentils to up the protein and make it a little hardier. Cooking time works for me, although I bake at 385-390 instead of 400. Beautiful presentation, and so flavorful!

Modifications that work:- layering ground beef or lamb between the rice and the onions- adding a spicy element like jalapeno or pepper flakes- cooking the rice separately then adding fully cooked rice to recipe (reduce additional water and cooking times appropriately)Modifications that don’t work:- swapping the pine nuts for pomegranate seeds

This is a lot of work and it doesn't look delicious. That being said, it is quite tasty and I like the sticky texture. I wouldn't make it for guests because of the poor appearance.

Did not need as many onions, could've done with one less yellow and one less red onion. Otherwise, delicious recipe

Plenty of work but really awful. I generally trust Melissa's recipes but this didn't work at all. I followed directions completely. It was SO overcooked as to be unrecognizable. Considering the number of onions and spices in the dish it was quite bland nevertheless. I should have listened to the comments saying take it out at 50 minutes. The extra 35 minutes destroyed it. We did eat it, so 2 stars for not being completely inedible, but the leftovers went in the garbage.

This was yummy. I’m not sure it works as a main. I had way too many onions left over after I covered the dish prior to putting it in the oven. I used pistachios instead of pine nuts and added raisins before putting it in the oven. I served it with lamb meatballs and lamb stuffed dates. There is not much active time even though this recipe takes over 2 hours. It also reheats well in the oven or microwave.

Very delicious. Made a double batch, but no need to double the sliced onions since those go by surface area, not volume! Used an enameled cast iron braiser for both stovetop and baking (with the lid, not foil). Times were bang on. I did have to use a lot more onion water than it said to go 15 minutes without sticking. For the juice/oil sauce, I again it and then didn't need the whole amount I made, maybe a little over half until it would have overflowed.

How would you reheat this if you made it ahead of time?

Not the cheapest dish in my arsenal, but definitely the most elegant. I mixed barley and quinoa in with the rice and it gave the dish a delicious nutty taste mixed in. I also substituted walnuts in for the pine nuts and that worked just fine. Certainly a dish I will be taking to impress at my Thanksgiving table in a couple of months.

I cooked the rice on the stovetop like a regular risotto (used vegetable broth instead of making onion broth). I roasted zucchini, broccoli, and onions in the oven for half an hour. Much faster and still tasted delicious. Instead of baharat I put harissa. Even with much less butter/oil, the rice was absolutely delicious and unique. It is worth keeping pomegranate juice in the freezer just for the recipe. I can't wait to make the pomegranate risotto again.

I enjoyed this quite a bit although it was a lot of work. I made something very similar the next night but added chickpeas and served it with a greek yogurt “dressing” which I’d thinned with a little water and added lemon juice and dry dill to. Loved it the second night even more!

I made this last night as written, FANTASTIC!

I absolutely loved this dish but for some reason the rice was a little undercooked. I baked it for an hour and 30 mins. Does anyone know why? I want to make it again because it was so delicious!

This was a new addition to an Easter dinner for family which includes two vegans. It was a great hit! However, the onions were not “jammy” in any sense but a little dried out—maybe I need to bury them a little in the rice. Any ideas?

This recipe has a unique flavor. And it is even better the next day. Be sure to bake for at least the recommended amount of time.