GOOD TASTE: Los Angeles Times Company Rice

Years and years ago, I was invited to the Los Angeles Times for a luncheon and presented with an autographed copy of Dear S.O.S.: Thirty Years of Recipe Requests by Rose Dosti. Dear S.O.S. was a popular column for years in the Los Angeles Times. Readers would request favorite restaurant recipes and the column would print them. Now there’s Pinterest and other food blogs where we can instantaneously get copycat recipes. But I still cherish this book and this recipe for Company Rice is one of my favorites.

It’s that old-school type of recipe, you  know, with soup and butter. According to the author, this recipe won her “My Best Recipe” prize in 1972! Yup, it’s an oldie but a goodie. Let’s make some…




I’ll give you the original recipe because I usually leave out the mushrooms and almonds. I usually don’t have them on hand like the other ingredients, plus I tend to like my rice without a lot of extra ingredients.

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 large onion
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use a blend of cheeses – Cheddar, Jack, whatever I have in the fridge)
• 1-3/4 cup long grain rice
• 1 can of mushrooms (4 ounces) drained (or fresh mushrooms sliced)
• 2 (10-1/2 ounce) cans of beef consommé or beef broth
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Melt butter in skillet, add onions and sauté until tender but not browned. Combine onion, cheese, rice, mushrooms, consommé, and almonds in a 4-5 quart casserole. Mix well. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake 15 minutes longer. Makes about 12 servings.

Here’s the rice straight out of the oven. All of the beef broth is absorbed and the rice is so flavorful.

Give it a good mixing and you’re ready to serve it up with your favorite meal.

This is definitely my favorite rice dish. The cheese binds it together and gives the rice an even heartier feel. I’m sure it delicious with the mushrooms and almonds and even prettier.

Company Rice via the Los Angeles Times – but it’s not just for company!

Thanks so much for stopping by.