Food and Recipes Dish Casserole Savannah Red Rice Recipe 4.0 (4) 4 Reviews The South is known for its way with rice-based dishes, but only one has been labeled as the defining dish of the Georgia coast. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 14, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins Yield: 6 serves Jump to recipe The South is known for its way with rice-based dishes, but only one has been labeled as the defining dish of the Georgia coast. Savannah Red Rice is essentially a pilaf (also known as pilau, perloo, perlou, and so forth), in which long-grain rice simmers in a well-seasoned broth until tender and delectable. It's simple, but when this dish is well made, the bright, acidic tomatoes and smoky bacon give it a complex, yet subtle flavor. The rice on top will be fluffy and separate while the grains on the bottom of the pot develop a crisp crust. The secret to getting this magical mix of textures is to resist the temptation to lift the lid and stir the ingredients during cooking. To avoid that mistake, follow this recipe, which has you bake the rice in the low, even heat of the oven instead. Leaving it covered for a few minutes before serving improves the textures as well. This savory, slightly spicy baked rice recipe can stand on its own as a main dish or work as a hearty side served along with chicken, shrimp, or pork. Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Ingredients 5 bacon slices 2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 large onion) ½ cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks) ½ cup chopped green bell pepper (from 1 small bell pepper) 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice 1 (16-oz.) can chopped whole tomatoes, undrained ¾ cup chicken broth ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium until crisp, about 8 minutes; transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon. Add yellow onion, celery, and bell pepper to reserved drippings in skillet; increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in rice, tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Spoon into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake in preheated oven until rice is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon. Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Rate it Print