Mimi's French Onion and Consomme Rice with Mushrooms

This Campbell's beef consomme rice recipe, also known as "stick of butter rice," is one of my favorite dishes of all time. With only 5 ingredients and minimal prep work, it's a great side dish to enjoy for a weeknight meal, or it's elegant enough to add to your holiday table. Give it a try--I bet it'll become a favorite for your family too!

This is one of those retro recipes that became popular when people started adding condensed soup to their dishes. It's one that stuck for our family, and a dish my grandmother, Mimi, would always have to go alongside our prime rib at Christmastime. To me, Christmas dinners would be incomplete without this flavorful rice on the dinner table.

For years I didn't realize how easy "Mimi's brown rice" is to make. The rich flavors of mushrooms and beef consomme make it seem like it's tricky, but in reality it's super simple, making it an ideal side not just for Christmas but all throughout the year. That's why I make this simple side dish on the regular to serve with beef, chicken, or pork.

At Christmas, we always have this rice side dish along with my mom's cheesy broccoli casserole recipe to go with our prime rib. But, if you're wanting it on a random weeknight, try it with my rosemary and Dijon pork chops or herb-crusted salmon. It's the perfect side dish to liven up your meal. Now, let's get to it!

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this French onion rice:

• long grain rice
• can of beef consommé
• can of French onion soup
• sliced fresh mushrooms
• salted butter
• fresh parsley (optional)

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

1. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the uncooked rice in the baking dish in a single layer.

2. Next, add the beef consommé and French onion soups over the top of the rice.

3. Then, arrange the mushrooms in an even layer on top of the mixture in the baking pan.

4. Finally, dot the pats of butter over the mushrooms. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Hint: To avoid mushy rice, rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear.

Substitutions

Here are some alternative ingredient options in case you need to make a swap:

• Mushrooms - For this recipe, I used regular white button mushrooms. Feel free to use sliced baby bella (crimini), chopped portabella, or a gourmet mushroom mix.
• Butter - If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the mixture.
• Soups - Double up on two cans of beef consommé or two cans of French onion if you'd like.
• Parsley - Instead of parsley, add fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary if you prefer.

Variations

Check out these variations to this stick of butter rice recipe:

• Spicy - Add a little crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to give this rice a little kick.
• Less Butter - Reduce the amount of butter to ¼ cup and replace with ¼ cup vegetable or olive oil.
• Super Onion - Add some caramelized onions to the rice before it cooks for an ultra French onion flavor.
• French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole - Add boneless skinless chicken breasts to the casserole dish and bake as directed.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Frequently asked questions