Tomato Rice Baked in Bell Pepper

Hubby and I were able to taste a baked tomato rice in a popular restaurant here in the heart of Manila. It was so creamy, so delicious. Hubby wanted me to recreate it here at home!

So, this dish is my first attempt. I was preparing my ingredients when I spied my Thai basil plant growing profusely. The picture here was taken when I newly bought it from the plant nursery. It has grown more leaves since then.




I knew the rice do not have the taste of thai basil, but has sweet basil. But I so very wanted to use these leaves, so I gathered a handful and threw it in the rice as well... :)


1 1/2 C Japanese round rice, washed once
4 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, seeded, diced
3 T tomato paste
1 bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 1/2 C Chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C chopped thai basil


1. In a big skillet, or cooking pan, heat up some olive oil. Saute the onions until softened.

2. Add in the tomatoes and saute until juices come out, around 3 minutes. Add in the bell peppers, tomato paste. Mix everything up for a while, then add in the rice. Add in the chicken broth. Let boil and lower heat. Check in once in a while, stir to mix, and to make sure the rice is not burning.

3. When rice is cooked, add in chopped basil. Mix everything to let the remaining heat cook the basil leaves. You can also add in some more drops of olive oil for more flavor and shine to the rice. Season with salt and pepper.




4. You can serve as is, or bake it in a bell pepper.


I just wanted to show you the size of the bell pepper I used...



5. Clean the bell pepper well. Cut off the top portion. Remove the seeds and the insides.

6. Stuff the bell pepper with the cooked rice. Brush the skin of the bell pepper with olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Serve warm. You may actually top this with cheese (now, why didn't I do that?)



The tomato rice is flavorful, creamy and delicious. The thai basil gave the rice dish a lemony basil flavor. Delicious but a bit on the strong flavor side. Maybe next time, I should use my sweet basil instead.


Sharing this rice dish with the Grow Your Own event. This is a twice a month food event launched by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes to celebrate the plants and food we grow ourselves and the dishes we make using these homegrown produce. This edition's host is Denise of Chez Us. To see last edition's delicious entries, please check out the wonderful round-up done by Noobcook.