Homemade Rice a Roni

By Addie

"This is a big hit at my house and pretty cheap to make too!"
Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup raw white rice
• 14 1/2 ounces broth ( any flavor)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Preparation

Step 1

In medium skillet saute' broken spaghetti pieces in butter, stirring constantly, until the spaghetti begins to brown.

Add rice, stirring until the rice is well coated with the butter and the spaghetti browns a little more Carefully pour in broth.

Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Add parsley.
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REVIEWS

I made this tonight and it was sooooo good and easy!! I loved that I get to choose what i want in it. The only thing i did different was i added 1 clove of garlic and 1/4 onion chopped at the begining. My husband is pretty picky, so this is nice because i can make his (beef- will use beef instead of chicken broth) and mine (this recipe) without having to waste 1/2 a box of each. Thanks so much for sharing this! I will definatly have to make this again!

I've made rice this way many a time, and it's good to see that others enjoy it, too! I usually use thin angel hair pasta instead of of spaghetti. There are a lot of things you can add in to this recipe, as well, such as dried minced onion, chopped green onion, almond slivers... all sorts of things. Just as commercially-produced Rice-A-Roni is versatile, so is doing it the old fashioned way. :)

If I didn't know it wasn't Rice A Roni, I wouldn't have known it wasn't Rica A Roni! We LOVED it! We usually eat the chicken and mushroom flavor, so that is what I attempted. I replaced the broken pasta with orzo because I already had it. I used 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken flavor, plus I added 2 or 3 dried shitake mushrooms (broken up) and some garlic powder and onion powder. Oh and a little dried parsley. I browned the pasta and rice together like the original, and cooked it for 20 minutes after adding the liquid. Also, when it was all done, I added a splash of Half and Half. It was AWESOME! Next time, I think I will add just a bit more bouillon. Awesome recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!

This one is a real winner. GREAT recipe! Thanks!

YUMMM!! I added garlic and onions and some seasonings such as italian seasoning. I think that this is one of these recipes that is open for interpretation. My boyfriend was so excited to get homemade rice a roni. I am so glad I found this recipe. Thank you!!

A quick, easy, versatile, and wonderful recipe! I was looking for something that would taste similar to the boxed stuff, but without the chemical additives and, to my delight, this recipe tastes even better than the boxed stuff! I've made it several times and my family loves it.

I'm so happy I stumbled across this recipe! It was SUPER delish! I sauteed half an onion and a few cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil (ran out of butter!) followed as directed but used water and beef base instead of a can of broth..sooooo yummy...but by the time the liquid absorbed the rice was still crunchy...and my pork chops called for wine so I figured I would throw in a few glugs and WOW, it was sooooo good! Honestly, I think I turned it into a risotto, but I won't complain! It was thick and creamy and delicious! I honestly think I could eat it daily it was so good. Thanks for the great recipe!!!

Loved this recipe. My kids love Rice a Roni chicken flavor - and I hate that it is so high in sodium - this was easy and fabulous - I doubled the recipe - and added some extra garlic powder and onion powder as well as dried parsley - I plan to make this often!!!! I will make baggies of the dry ingredients to keep in my pantry ready to go - then I can make it any flavor by changing the broth flavor and spices!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Very very very good! And let me tell you... it is so reasurring to know what EXACTLY your are eating, compared to the processed box stuff ;) I even used brown rice and 100% whole wheat pasta and it was AWESOME! You can't beat this simple and tasty recipe! - We like to add 1 packet of Italian Dressing mix to the simmering liquid. It is easy and kicks it up a notch!

I've made this 4 times now and everytime I do something a little different to go with whatever I'm cooking. I did try it the first time with brown rice, and it did not work out at all, it never did get done enough where it wasn't crunchy. I will keep making this, it sure is easy and delicious!! I think I even like this better than than Rice a roni.

What a great recipe! I found this while I was planning for supper and I even had all the ingredients in the house! I added the onion and garlic as suggested by another reviewer and it was delicious! I look forward to trying out other variations with this recipe and I make this often. Thanks for sharing this easy side dish!

This was so tasty. I changed it a bit because I didn't have the exact ingredients on hand. I put 1/2 pkg Knorrs Veg soup mix, 1 pkg Liptons cup o' soup, 1 cup rice, 1 cup spaghetti, 2 tbsp margarine, 1 tsp oil. Fried these ingredients until noodles were brown. Then added 4 1/2 cups of water. Turned the heat halfway down and covered until the liquid disappeared. It was great and the kids loved it. Thanks for the recipe.

This comes in so handy and we eat it often. Delicious and easy to throw together when life gets busy and you need something fast to eat. I have added in shrimp and another time chicken off the grill cut into bite-size pieces. Makes an excellent side too!

This recipe is amazing. I was trying to find something to do with white rice because my husband does not like plain white rice. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. It is super easy to make and taste exactly like the boxed Rice-a-Roni. My whole family absolutely loved it. I did change it up a little though. I did beef broth and added some beef bullion cube. I also added some garlic powder and onion powder as was suggested.

Made a wonderful version much lower in salt than the boxed kind. I used orzo pasta and needed more water than stated. Turned out beautifully. I'll never buy the boxed kind again. Thanks for sharing!!

You know those people that review a recipe and then made so many changes it didn't resemble the original all that much. Well....that was me. This is more a method that is open to a huge number of possibilities that would all be amazing and reading other reviews I see I am not alone. My interpretation used orzo pasta and the last of my basmati and the last of my wild rice. I also added onions, garlic, mushrooms, toasted almonds and some fresh herbs. Rice-A-What? As somebody trying to watch our sodium intake this is PERFECT. Much better than the box because I know what is in there. A perfect vehicle for using upu the last little bits of rice that always seem to end up in my cupboard. It took more broth to get it cooked but that could be my fire was a little high. Excellent recipe I will use again and again.

Used a very small pasta, acini di pepe, nearly round, with a diameter about that of spaghetti. Sauteed a half cup of chopped onions with the pasta just before adding the rice. Used canned chicken broth. Check for al dente, since just cooking until absorption leaves it pretty chewy. Excellent buttery flavor and interesting texture. Would benefit from more seasoning but a terrific homemade version of the San Francisco treat.

Awesomw base recipe. I added green onions, celery, grated carrots and mushrooms. It would be delicious as written but I didn't want to make a side veggie so I put it all in the rice and it was so good. Served with pan fried shrimp and it was a nice dinner for a very hot summer day. Thanks for posting!!!

So happy I found this... really wanted rice with dinner but had no boxed mixes available. I used minute brown rice which worked perfectly and it was done in about 15 minutes

I could not get my husband to give up boxed rice-a-roni, so I came across this as we are trying to budget a little more, and it is a huge hit! When I don't have stuff to add, I just use chicken or beef boullion cubes and then add some chicken seasoning to give it that "rice a roni" flavor! I've sauteed onions with it when I have fresh onion, then added the pasta, and after adding the broth add shredded carrots. I can see all sorts of possibilities! Thank you for this recipe, now I always have it on hand and the family is very happy!

On 5/31/10 I was looking for something different to go with fried chicken, and came across this recipe and decided to try it. And I'm really glad I did. For the pasta, vermicelli was used. I did have to simmer for about 35 minutes to get the rice completely done. And I added a bit of powdered chicken bouillon to get the flavor that I was used to in the boxed mix. When this is made again, the amount of bouillon will be decreased so I can slowly get the extra sodium out. I can see extras being added to this recipe to make it a one dish meal. Thanks for posting and, " Keep Smiling :) "

Awesome! I made this to go alongside Awesome Baked Pork Chops and it was perfect! I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and about 1/2 cup of sweet onion before adding the noodles and added another tbs of butter before adding the rice. I thought I had spaghetti and realized I was out at the last minute, so I subbed macaroni (next smallest pasta I had on hand). It was kind of funny looking, but tasted spectacular. My hubby finished the WHOLE bowl! Thank you for the great recipe!

I have made this WONDERFUL recipe now 5 or 6 times... Its a go to for me.. Its a retro feel good reminds me of my childhood type of thing.. but NO MORE boxes here.. I know what goes in this.. and it is even BETTER than the BOX version.. couple of times i sauteed mushrooms, once added brochilli, have tried it with chicken and beef broth both... I dont think anyone could go wrong with this... I have bragged about this at work also and passed it on! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!

This worked out rather well. I used orzo rather than the broken spaghetti-everything else I kept the same. My husband loves the stuff, I hate what's in the boxed "crap" so this is my very happy medium! So many options for variations that this will be my go to recipe! Thanks for posting!

These were OK. I had to add a lot more liquid than called for to get the rice cooked. Also, we thought they were quite a bit bland. We had to add lots of salt and pepper and other spices to give them a little more oomph. Great idea though. I will try to adjust to our liking and avoide buying the bad-for-you pre-packaged stuff.

What great recipe! we loved it . it sure beats the package stuff I used to buy; thank you for posting. Rita

This dish is wonderful! I make it at least twice a week. I use different seasonings with the broth, all with great results. Also, I use orzo instead of spaghetti. Economical and delicious! Thanks, LisaA, for posting.

I just finished cooking this dish. Delicious! I used Sysco Chicken base with water to make the broth. I followed the directions and found I needed 1/4 more cup of water for the rice to be cooked. Added the water, stirred until absorbed and it was perfect. I used Calrose Rice. Either the rice or the altitude might have affected the outcome. I will continue to use. Thanks.

Great easy recipe. A super quick side dish. Will definitely make again!

I used orzo and spaghetti pieces and it came out really good! The kids liked it and had seconds, so you know it was good!

Thank you I love having this on hand. I don't normally buy the box stuff and after finding the two boxes in my pantry infested with something creepy crawly, I am so glad I can make my own and know how fresh the ingredients are! I also have a daughter that cannot have MSG so this is a great solution.

I attempted to 1/2 it, but it didn't have enough liquid, so I had to add more. I also added some chopped chives, dried onion and parsley.. THIS IS EXCELLENT!!!!!! Where did you find this recipe???

I was good but needed seasoning...will add some next time.


I am not a big fan of store bought Rice a Roni so I took a chance with this recipe. Also, I added beef broth to my rice and really enjoyed the rice. I had to add an extra 1/2 cup of water because my rice was still kind of crunchy.

Awesome!! I ran out of chicken rice roni (my fav) so I made this rice with chicken stock and added pepper and parsley. WOW, I may never have to buy rice roni again.

Very versatile and delicious base. I cooked up some chicken breast and steamed broccoli to mix in, and garnished with sliced green onion.

We didn't like it.It was very bland and we didn't like the texture,

We loved it . Very creamy mixture. So you know it freezes well. The leftovers have been in the freezer since July 5th. I pulled the leftovers out the last week of August. It is still as tasty as it was when originally made it. I will be making more of this again and freezing the left overs. Thanks for sharing.

AWESOME!! My husband was so surprised that this didnt come from a box! Don't forget to rinse your rice before cooking and NO STIRRING or PEEKING until done! Very fluffy!!

Simple, easy and very tasty. I used vegetable broth, as my son is a vegetarian, but would be equally as good made with any other flavoured broth. I added some onion and carrot to the mix and finished with some chopped parsley. I sauteed the rice/pasta in a combination butter/oil, added the stock, brought to a boil and finished in the oven. I generally have more luck with the rice not sticking in the pot that way. Perfect. :)