Pesto Rice Bake

4.37 from 11 votes

This no-boil casserole features homemade or storebought pesto, rice, and cheese for a comforting and nutritious vegetarian dinner.

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Total Time40

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 430kcal

Rinse the rice well under cool running water. Preheat the oven to 375F.
To a 8x8-inch baking dish add the rinsed rice, pesto, drained chickpeas, chopped mushrooms, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Pour in the vegetable broth, stirring to combine again. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, an upside-down baking sheet, or a lid.
Bake at 375F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice is mostly cooked through. Remove from the oven and stir. If the rice is still hard or not mostly cooked, return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Otherwise, stir in the cream cheese. Top with shredded cheese.
Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the rice is fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve garnished with fresh basil and red pepper flakes, to taste.

Lemon pepper seasoning: This is optional. I use a salt-free lemon pepper seasoning, so if yours contains salt make sure to adjust the added kosher salt to taste.
Extra veggies: Add thawed frozen vegetables or a few handfuls of spinach at the same time as the cream cheese.
Extra protein: Sliced Italian sausages or tofu ricotta go well here. Add at the same time as the rice.
Vegan option: Replace shredded mozzarella with your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese, choose dairy-free pesto or make homemade pesto using vegan Parmesan, and replace cream cheese with a non-dairy option or omit it entirely.
Storage: Let the pesto rice bake cool before slicing and transferring to a closed container. Keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: I have not tried freezing this casserole but based on other casseroles I've cooked, it should work well. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and foil or plastic wrap and a lid before freezing. If reheating in the oven, add an extra 10-15 minutes of cook time. The casserole can also thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheating: Reheat individual slices quickly in the microwave. Reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 325F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. Cover with foil if the casserole starts to dry out too much.
Want to speed up the cooking time? Simmer all liquids on the stove before adding them to the casserole dish. Check the rice at 20 minutes, adding additional time as needed.