Blending the passata with silken tofu before it goes into the dish matters for texture. A completely smooth sauce coats the raw rice evenly and keeps the tomato flavour at the front; visible tofu pieces would make the bake less even in both appearance and bite.
Main DishesTomato-Baked Rice with White Beans and Mozzarella
Tomato-baked rice turns tender beneath a browned mozzarella & parmesan crust, with White Beans tucked through the sauce. Blended Silken tofu gives the tomato base a fuller body while keeping its clean, tomato-led flavour.
Ingredients
Preparation Steps
Heat the oven and chop the vegetables
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Finely dice the onion and carrot, then finely chop the Garlic.
Cook the aromatic base
Warm the Olive Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and carrot for 5 to 6 minutes until softened, then add the Garlic, Oregano , and Paprika for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Blend the tomato sauce
Blend the Rustic Passata, Silken tofu, Water, Salt, and Ground Black Pepper until completely smooth. Pour the sauce into the frying pan with the vegetables and bring it just to a gentle simmer so the rice starts cooking promptly in the oven.
Pre-cook the rice
Pre-cook the rice for 5-7 minutes.
Assemble the dish
Add the Rice, White Beans, cooked vegetables, and tomato sauce to a deep baking dish. Stir well and press the rice below the surface of the sauce so it cooks evenly.
Bake and brown the cheese
Cover the dish tightly and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, scatter over the Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese, then bake for another 10 minutes, until the rice is tender, the liquid is mostly absorbed, and the top is browned in patches. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe insights
A smooth tomato sauce
Checking the centre of the bake
Browned cheese is not the test of doneness. Sample a few grains from the middle, where heat and liquid take longest to reach: they should be tender, with no firm or chalky centre. If needed, cover the dish again and return it to the oven until the rice softens. The 10-minute rest allows the remaining sauce to settle around the rice instead of pooling on the plate.
Homemade tomato sauce
I used passata in the recipe but I did another one with homemade tomato sauce, it was even better ! For the tomato sauce, I used 600g of tomatoes, 1 carrot, 2 onions. I cooked everything in olive oil & blended everything together until smooth ! Even my toothless grandmother could eat the sauce. But if you want to spare 1h of your time, just use passata it is fine !
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