Pairing any Mediterranean dish like Greek chicken souvlaki or lamb gyro with lemon Greek rice instantly takes the meal to a whole new level of premium. The perfectly cooked Mediterranean rice pilaf flavored with herbs, feta cheese, and fresh tangy lemon tastes absolutely delightful. Have this restaurant-quality Greek-style rice in a breeze with our easy crockpot Greek rice recipe.
Tips on Making Lemon Greek Rice
With our crockpot lemon rice recipe, cooking a stunning pot of fluffy Greek rice pilaf will be easy as can be. We cook the rice in less liquid and fluff it up using a fork so that the individual grains don’t turn mushy. Here are some more helpful tips on how to make the perfect Greek rice at home.
- Use Jasmine rice. It has the best aroma, texture, and delicious slightly sweet flavor. You can also use Basmati or any long-grain rice as an alternative. Note that instant rice cooks faster and thus is not ideal for crockpot cooking.
- Toast the rice. Doing this extra step won’t take over 5 minutes, but it gives a toasty aroma that takes the flavor to another level. Make it tastier by adding butter, chicken fat, or bacon fat to the olive oil when sauteing the rice. You can, of course, skip this step and it’ll still be delicious.
- Change the stock to match your other dishes. While chicken broth is the most versatile in flavor, you can switch to seafood stock if you’re serving it with a seafood dish like roasted cod.
- Add other tasty ingredients to this traditional Greek rice recipe and make it your own. You can add orzo rice, mushrooms, peas, sliced almonds, and raisins into the mix. Mix them in with the rice before adding the stock. Fresh herbs are to be added once the rice is finished cooking.
Feel free to browse our collection of delicious Mediterranean recipes to serve with our Greek lemon rice pilaf. Complete the Greek feast with a Greek salad on the side. Now, let’s head on right to making it.
How To Make Crockpot Lemon Greek Rice Pilaf
A fluffy lemon Greek rice pilaf made tasty with fresh lemon juice, oregano, spinach, and dill weed and topped with creamy feta cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups long-grain rice, uncooked
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp dill weed, fresh
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach, shredded
- 1 cup lemon, juiced and zested
- 2 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
- 2 cups water
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil, rice, onion, garlic, oregano, ½ cup of feta cheese, and stock into the crockpot.
- Add in 3 cups of water and cook on High for 90 minutes.
- Once it’s done, pour the lemon juice, lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and dill into the crockpot. Fluff the rice up using a fork.
- Add the remaining crumbled feta cheese on top and serve warm!
Nutrition
- Sugar: 3g
- :
- Calcium: 165mg
- Calories: 327kcal
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Cholesterol: 22mg
- Fat: 7g
- Fiber: 2g
- Iron: 1mg
- Monounsaturated Fat: 2g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
- Potassium: 194mg
- Protein: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Sodium: 605mg
- Vitamin A: 754IU
- Vitamin C: 22mg
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Commonly Asked Questions
Why is my lemon rice bitter?
The fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, or peels turn bitter when heated for too long. Make sure to add the lemon juice only when the heat is already off. On the other hand, you can fix it by adding a dash of salt or a bit of sugar, by a teaspoon, to mask the bitter flavor.
Why is my Greek rice pilaf mushy?
Rice becomes mushy when you add too much liquid. The grains split and the starches swell giving it a gluey consistency. If it’s not too bad, fix it by putting the rice in a thin layer on a baking sheet to dry. You can also turn the mushy lemon rice into a porridge by adding more liquid and simmering it for a few minutes.
Conclusion
Making deliciously fresh lemon Greek rice pilaf in a crockpot has never been this easy. It goes well with fish, chicken, or lamb. Serve restaurant-quality meals to your family and friends by making this easy Greek rice recipe now.Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
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