Baked Tawa Pulao – Indian Spiced Rice Bake

This Tawa Pulao – Spiced Rice casserole needs just 1 Pan and 1 step! Dump and done bake with veggies and warming Indian spices. Serve as a main with added chickpeas or as a side with your favorite curry. 1 step 1 pan dump and bake! Gluten-free. Nutfree soyfree

Currently, I am obsessed with this Baked Spiced Rice Casserole aka. Tawa Pulao! Such an easy recipe that uses mostly pantry staples and can be made with frozen veggies, canned veggies or fresh ones. Use whatever you like and have available.

As for the spices – I know – the list is long but if you don’t have some of them, you can just use more of the others. Curry powder would be a great substitute for garam masala and paprika or cayenne pepper can be used intead of chili powder.

Feel free to serve this as a side alongside your favorite vegan protein or make it a main. Or just add some chickpeas or lentils to up the protein.

Why this will become a favorite!

1 Step 1 pan recipe
Dump and bake!
perfect rice texture
low active time in the kitchen
allergy friendly

More Rice Casseroles:

Tex Mex Rice Casserole

Baked Vegan Mushroom Rice

Baked Kitchari Casserole (Spiced Lentil Rice Casserole)

Chana Pulao- Baked chickpea rice casserole

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Wash and soak the rice, if you haven’t already. Prep the rest of the ingredients. Brush oil in a 8×10 or a similar size baking dish, then add drained rice and the rest of the ingredients and mix well and even it out.
Cover with parchment and bake at 400F (205C) for 30-35 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark if the rice is done, if not then continue to bake it for another 5–8 minutes and then check again. Rice will continue to cook in the heat so you want it to be just about done.
Then take the dish out of the oven, let it sit covered for another 3-4 minutes.
Then fluff the rice with a spatula or fork. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, you can add salt while fluffing and then serve. Serve with non dairy yogurt raita Or serve it as a side with Indian curries or dal(lentils)

I use long grain Indian basmati like royal extra long or India gate xl
Convert into a meal with protein: add in a can of chickpeas to the rice or add some veggie crumbles or top it with some toasted cashews or crisped tofu for additional protein.
This recipe is gluten-free, Soyfree, nutfree
Storage: Store refrigerated in a closed container for upto 3 days. Reheat in a skillet, microwave or oven
Brown rice: brown rice takes much longer to cook and will need an hour or so bake time. Add hot boiling broth and bake, check at 50 minutes. Alternatively ,parboil the brown rice for 20 minutes, then add to the casserole dish, use 1 cup hot water/broth instead of 2 cups and continue recipe as written.
Stove top: Sauté the spices and all veggies in a saucepan over medium heat for 4-5 mins. Then add the tomato purée, rice, water and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for 11-12 mins.

Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 345mg, Potassium: 301mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 3713IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

a small bowl with vegan masala rice casserole sprinkled with chopped cilantro

Ingredients:

I like to make this recipe with Indian white basmati rice – it makes the fluffiest result. make sure to rinse it well and soak it for at least 10 minutes
some oil is added to enhance flavor and to keep the rice grains from sticking together
spices: ground coriander. Pav bhaji masala or garam masala, cumin, cardamom, dill, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Kashmiri chili powder and salt as well as bay leaves
the rice is cooked in a mix of water with some tomato puree added for color and acidity
we add 1 ½ to 2 cups of vegetables – fresh or frozen
garnishes: lemon juice and cilantro

Tips & Variations:

For variation, you can also add a can of chickpeas to the rice or add some veggie crumbles or top it with some toasted cashews for additional protein.
You can use frozen vegetables, just thaw them for at least 10 minutes before using
I like to sprinkle the casserole with fresh chopped cilantro and lemon juice for garnish
for extra heat use ¼ teaspoon cayenne instead of paprika or add it additional to the paprika

ingredients needed for making baked masala rice casserole

How to make Baked Spiced Rice -Tawa Pulao:

Wash and soak the rice, if you haven’t already. Prep the rest of the ingredients.

uncooked rice and frozen veggies in a white casserole dish

Brush the oil in an 8×10 or a similar size baking dish then add drained rice and the rest of the ingredients and mix well and even it out.

a white casserole dish with spices, rice and veggies

a white casserole dish with rice, tomato paste, veggies and spices

dry and liquid ingredients for baked masala rice pulao in a white casserole dish

a white casserole dish with baked rice ingredients ready for baking

Cover it with parchment and bake at 400F (205C) for 30-35 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark if the rice is done, if not then continue to bake it for another 5–8 minutes and then check again.

The rice will continue to cook in the heat so you want it to be just about done.

a white casserole dish with rice sprinkled with cilantro

Then take the dish out of the oven, let it sit covered for another 3-4 minutes.

Then fluff up the rice with a spatula or fork. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can add pinches of salt while fluffing up the rice, if needed. Garnish with cilantro and squeezes of lemon

What to serve with this Baked Masala Rice Casserole?

Serve with non dairy yogurt raita or serve it as a side with Indian curries or dal(lentils)

a white bowl with baked rice casserole sprinkled with cilantro

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