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    Curry Rice Casserole

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This hearty and flavorful casserole makes a great main dish when you want something a little special. This recipe requires a bit of extra prep, but it’s worth it because it makes a lot of food and it’s very delicious! (See Notes for variations and substitutions.)

    Curry-Rice-Casserole

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    Curry-Rice-Casserole

    Curry Rice Casserole


    • Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
    • Yield: 8 to 10 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Scale
    • Rice:
    • 3¼ cups water
    • 1½ cups dry/uncooked short-grain brown rice
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder
    • Sauce:
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 oz. raw, unsalted cashews (about ½ cup)
    • Vegetables:
    • 3 cups sliced white or cremini mushrooms (6-8 medium)
    • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1½ cups)
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (3 to 4 medium cloves)
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder
    • 4 cups chopped broccoli
    • 1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 cup cilantro leaves (loosely packed), chopped (about ½ cup)
    • 6 green onions, chopped (about ½ cup)

    Instructions

    1. To make the rice, place the water, rice, and 1 tablespoon curry powder into a medium saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes covered.
    2. To start the sauce, place the water and cashews into a small bowl or small blender jar, and set aside (so the cashews can soften).
    3. While the rice is cooking, chop and measure your vegetables and spices. preheat the oven to 375°F.
    4. Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the mushrooms and bell pepper, and cook while stirring for about 3 minutes, adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in the garlic and 1 tablespoon curry powder, and cook for 1 minute more.
    5. Stir into the soup pot, the broccoli, zucchini, and 1 cup water. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice during, until the broccoli is tender but not falling apart. Remove from the heat.
    6. To finish the sauce, blend the water and cashews until smooth. Add this to the pot of cooked vegetables, along with the cilantro, green onions, and cooked rice. Stir well (if it’s too thick or dry to stir, add a little water).
    7. Spoon into a 9x13-inch casserole dish (no pan preparation is necessary), and spread evenly. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares or scoop out to serve. If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro and/or ground cashews.

    Notes

    Curry powders come in a range of heat levels, from mild to hot. Use any level that you like in this recipe.

    For more spiciness, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.

    Cauliflower can be used in place of broccoli (or a mix of both).

    If you cannot use cashews, substitute with another nut or seed of your choice. Casseroles need something to hold the ingredients together; this is usually butter, milk, cream, oil, or cheese, so I use a nut sauce instead. But you could also use other types of binding ingredients, such as: tofu, arrowroot, or a little rice flour (or other flour). Or if you don’t care about the binding or richness too much, you can use 1 cup of nondairy milk, light coconut milk, water, or vegetable stock in step 5.

    Timesaver: Make the rice earlier in the day (or night before) and/or pre-chop your vegetables and store them in the fridge until your ready to start with step 4.

    Curry powder: If you want to go the extra mile, you can make your own curry powder blend; just search online for “curry powder recipes.”

    I love mushrooms, but if you don’t, you can just leave them out (and add more of the other vegetables to make up the volume), or add another vegetable that you like (maybe thinly sliced carrots, eggplant, fennel, celery, greens...).

    • Prep Time: 60 mins
    • Cook Time: 20 mins

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @straightupfood and hashtag it #straightupfood - we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

    Curry-Rice-Casserole

    Above: The sliced mushrooms and chopped bell pepper.

    Curry-Rice-Casserole

    Above: The chopped zucchini and broccoli.

    Curry-Rice-Casserole

    Above: The coarsely chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and garlic, and curry powder

    Curry-Rice-Casserole

    Above: The casserole right before it goes into the oven.

    « Yellow Split Pea & Butternut Soup
    Mashed Potato Bake »

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Claire

      August 12, 2019 at 4:10 am

      Recipe looks great. Any substitute for cilantro?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 12, 2019 at 9:33 am

        You can leave it out or use parsley or basil. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Susan K Sasek

      August 12, 2019 at 9:52 am

      This looks delicious! Perfect timing for an event this week!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 12, 2019 at 1:44 pm

        Oh good! Thanks Susan! 😉

        Reply
    3. Judi

      August 12, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Made it today! Changed it up a bit. Added more Indian spices to dish. Turned out great! My husband loved😊

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 13, 2019 at 6:54 am

        Oh good! Thanks Judi! 😉

        Reply
    4. Leah Stolar

      August 15, 2019 at 8:25 pm

      This recipe was a complete success! The recipe worked perfectly and my husband kept complimenting the dish. It was a nice change from my usual curry since it has a completely different texture and selection of vegetables.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 15, 2019 at 8:53 pm

        I'm so happy to hear this, Leah! Thank you so much! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Petra

      August 26, 2019 at 8:14 am

      You nailed it again! It was delicious! The plan was to leave some for my husbands lunch tomorrow, he said: "not gonna happen" 🙂

      Reply
      • Cathy

        August 26, 2019 at 2:10 pm

        Ha! That's great, thank you Petra! 😉

        Reply
    6. Janet Gilbert

      August 27, 2019 at 5:38 am

      I made this recipe for the first time tonight and loved it! I used Indian spice mix for the curry flavour. Can’t wait to make it for my family. I know it will be a hit. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        September 02, 2019 at 3:02 pm

        Yay! 🙂 Thanks Janet! I hope they like it!

        Reply
    7. Amanda

      August 30, 2019 at 11:59 am

      Thank you for this lovely recipe. Can I use almond nut butter instead of the cashew sauce?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        September 02, 2019 at 3:02 pm

        Probably; I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would taste great. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Jill

      August 30, 2019 at 8:19 pm

      Made this for dinner, substituted mashed great northern beans for the cashews and then added raisins and unsweetened coconut as a garnish. Will definitely make this again!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        September 02, 2019 at 2:59 pm

        Wow, that sounds exotic! 🙂 I'll have to try that; thanks Jill!

        Reply
    9. Janna

      September 06, 2019 at 3:51 pm

      This dish looks so good, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing!!! Just starting on this plant way of life and looking for variety.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        September 07, 2019 at 5:06 pm

        Thanks Janna! 😉

        Reply
    10. Emily

      October 19, 2019 at 4:42 pm

      Can this be made ahead and frozen? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        October 19, 2019 at 8:54 pm

        Yes, I would bake it and then freeze it (as opposed to freezing it before baking). 🙂

        Reply
    11. KM

      November 05, 2019 at 7:11 pm

      Loved this! Satisfying and delicious. This is solid, healthy comfort food. It was enough to have for several days meals.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        November 05, 2019 at 10:02 pm

        Yay, glad to hear it! Thanks KM! 😉

        Reply
    12. Chloe

      November 13, 2019 at 10:20 am

      Can I substitute any other grain for the rice?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        November 14, 2019 at 12:42 pm

        Sure. Maybe quinoa or even some pasta. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Julia

      November 17, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      I made this tonight and it was delicious!!!! Fabulous recipe! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        November 22, 2019 at 12:08 pm

        Aw, thanks Julia! So glad you enjoyed it! 😉

        Reply
    14. Denise Baxter

      May 05, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      I couldn't be happier with this dish. It's all you said it would be and more!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        May 05, 2020 at 5:55 pm

        Thanks so much, Denise! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

        Reply
    15. Ruth

      May 19, 2020 at 10:08 pm

      In looking over your recipes it looks like you cook like I do. I am getting tired of other healthy recipes. It takes me half the day to prepare and they have so many ingredients. I am getting worn out. I have a lot of ideas, but I needed some some new ideas. Thank you. I think I will get your cook book.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        May 20, 2020 at 2:26 pm

        Thanks so much, Ruth! 🙂

        Reply
    16. Jennifer

      February 25, 2021 at 9:12 am

      I made this casserole a few months ago and my husband and I loved it. Today I decided to make it again, however in the time between making the casseroles my husband decided to stop eating nuts. I made the casserole with tofu in place of the cashews. The casserole is not quite as firm but it is still as delicious. I use your recipes regularly especially main dishes. Thank you for all of these recipes!!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 26, 2021 at 9:35 am

        Hi Jennifer, thank you, great to know of this sub! 😉

        Reply
    17. Hannah

      March 03, 2021 at 12:56 pm

      This is absolutely delicious!!! Very reminiscent of old school chicken divan casserole, minus the chicken, plus extra veggies! It’s so delicious you could eat it right out of the pot without even baking it! Highly recommend!

      Reply
    18. Nicole

      May 18, 2021 at 6:40 am

      This is SO delicious! I think it may even be better the next day as leftovers. I did add a little bit of white miso to my own bowl because I love miso. Thank you for a great recipe - this will definitely be one I make again and again.

      Reply
      • Cathy

        May 19, 2021 at 9:15 am

        So glad you enjoyed this dish, Nicole! 🙂 Thank you for the comment!

        Reply

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