This Lamb and Rice Hotdish is seriously good comfort food. Everything in it, from the spices to the veggies, complement the lamb beautifully. The texture is so satisfying, and it smells so good. Consequently, it’s hard to resist a second helping, even though one is quite satisfying.
You could get at least 8 servings as a main, twice that as a side.
Ingredients
1 oz. dried mushrooms
1 cup vermouth
5 cups water, divided
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
2½ cups of rice
¾ tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 lb. ground lamb
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
Pepper
¼ cup minced parsley
1½ cups (3½ oz.) shredded Parmesan
2 cans (10½ oz. each) cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
2 cups goldfish crackers
1 Tbs butter, melted
¼ cup chopped pistachios, optionally
Directions
- Place the mushrooms, vermouth, and ½-cup water into a shallow bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Tamp down on the mushrooms to make sure they’re all in the liquid. Let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Place a deep-sided, 12-inch, cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of water, and bring it to a boil. Blanch the asparagus, covered, to just shy of your liking, perhaps 2-4 minutes. Strain away the water, and plunge the asparagus into a cold-water bath. Reserve two asparagus stalks for decoration. Slice the rest into bite-sized pieces.
- Place rice, 2½ cups water, and salt in an Instant Pot. Set the “Rice” function to Normal, Low (pressure); Natural Release.
- Place the onion, lamb, thyme, and rosemary into the skillet, and scramble the mixture over a medium-high flame until the lamb is no longer pink. Off heat, strain out most of any liquid. Season the lamb taste with salt (perhaps ½-tsp) and pepper (perhaps ¼-tsp). Transfer to an enormous mixing bowl, add the rice, and mix it all together.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Strain the mushrooms’ liquid into the lamb mixture. Chop the mushrooms and add them, along with the sliced asparagus, parsley, and cheese, to the lamb mixture. Mix in the soup. Transfer the mixture back into the skillet and smooth it out. Place the goldfish crackers into a gallon-size freezer bag, and crush them. Add the butter and massage it in through the plastic. (Toss in the nuts.) Spread the mixture on top of the skillet’s contents. Arrange the reserved whole asparagus stalks on top. Cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 45 minutes more.
Notes
- I used a blend of oyster, shitake, porcini, and black trumpet mushrooms.
- Substitute white wine for the vermouth. In that case, replace the ½-cup of water with more wine.
- Although I ultimately think that white rice is right choice for Parmalambaragus, I love brown rice. For the batch in these photos, I used a half-and-half blend of white and brown. I would consider full-on brown, but I think it’d make the dish too heavy.
- You may be able to mix the lamb and rice in the Instant Pot’s inner pot, instead of a mixing bowl, if the inner pot is large enough. I developed this recipe for a six-quart Instant Pot. If using a different size or type of pot, you may need to make modifications. Of course you don’t have to use an Instant Pot for this recipe; you can cook the rice in any manner that suits you.
- You can also use plain cream of mushroom soup, and add your own roasted garlic, to taste.
The Backstory
I created this dish by calling out the compulsory components of a hotdish, and asking my husband to come up with three examples, Family-Feud-style. Name a…
- Cream-of-something soup: MUSHROOM, ASPARAGUS, TOMATO
- Protein: CHICKEN, STEAK, LAMB
- Vegetable: GREEN BEANS, SPINACH, ASPARAGUS
- Starch: RICE, BREAD, POTATO
- Cheese (optional): SWISS, PARMESAN, BRIE
Survey said… I made my choices (in red). The rest of the recipe I built around that. It worked out so well that I’m going to look for was to use Parmalambaragus flavors in other ways: soup, pierogi, who knows?
Social Learning
Is this a rice casserole? Yes. A hotdish is a type of casserole. Read more about what makes certain casseroles into hotdishes here: Eater, Ramshackle Pantry. I didn’t grow up around hotdish; I’ve borrowed the idea it from the Minnesotans whom I so much admire.
In the spirit of hotdish, I used canned soup and goldfish. But what about substitutions for the all-from-scratchers out there? If you’d rather use a from-scratch substitute for the former, see this: Martha Stewart. For the goldfish, breadcrumbs would be the obvious choice, maybe mixed with a little of the Parmesan. Be forewarned, though, that according to some, hotdish ingredients are required to come from cans or packages from the frozen food aisle.
Lamb and Rice Hotdish with Mushrooms and Parmesan
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thanks, Kesor. Thanks Prosper Circle. In doing research for this post, I found these sites to be helpful: Serious Eats, Eat Smarter, Maku Kitchen Life, Great British Chefs, Taste of Home, The Kitchn. In spite of everything I said above, I don’t think that many native hotdish eaters would recognize this as a hotdish. It does fit the definition, though, if not necessarily the tradition.
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I have never heard of a Hot Dish before, but just read about it on Wikipedia. It sounds like just the thing people would have liked to cook in the 1950s and 1960s- canned soup and everything! I saw a photo of it also being served at church suppers- which I used to go to as a kid (but no more). I like ground lamb and might give this dish a try, but maybe using soup made from scratch!
Hey, Fran! You totally could do this from scratch. Search the text for “Martha,” and follow the link. She uses chicken stock mixed with sour cream. Or you could make your own mushroom soup concentrate, I’m sure. And yes, the way I understand it, hotdish is absolutely connected with church potlucks. I have to admit that I went into this thinking that the lamb wouldn’t be much different that ground beef … I couldn’t’ve been more wrong! The lamb is quite distinct and delicious.
This is new to me and something I need to try too since I adore lamb. The goldfish cracker topping is fun.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Porchetta with Cinnamon Flower Buds and Herbs
Thanks, Angie. I really love it, and I hope you will, too.
I love lamb and I know I’d love this. Paralamaragus?!!! Hysterical.
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The more I read your post Jeff, the more I can see what fun you had constructing this dish. Paralambaragus is new to me, and when I googled it only your post came up, goldfish crackers for a topping, also fun, but lamb mince is very tasty and always a winner. I vaguely remember the concept of hotdish from a long time ago and I love to see these things revived. So many elements in this dish, I would like to give it a try now the weather is cooling down here.
Pauline recently posted…Hot Smoked Salmon Kedgeree
Haha! Are you saying I have something unique on the internet? That’s quite a feat in itself, and it’s something I never thought possible. Anyway, I made that name up. (After reading your comment, I revised the post to make that clearer.) It was a lot of fun, the way I made it up, and lucky, I guess, that my husband stumbled onto some compatible items. And yes! Lamb mince is really tasty! Thanks for your comment, Pauline.
Although Im originally from the MidWest, we did not knowingly have HotDish. I think we just called it something else. but cream-of-something soup, and those crunchy onion thingies were a frequent casserole, whether the infamous Green Bean Casserole, or ground meat with aforementioned additions. I also love Molly Yeh’s version with tater tots on top!
Laura recently posted…Zesty Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Right? I’m also a native Midwesterner, and I never had it until just now, when I made it! I get the impression that it’s specific to Minnesota and its neighboring states. And yes, I’ve heard that tater tots are a very common topping. I’m going to try that.
I’ve never really looked into the hot dish thing – I’ve heard of them, but I wasn’t entirely sure what they were. Clearly I need to move them up to the forefront a bit more – this looks amazing! And I love what you did with the classic parmalambaragus flavors here. Well done, sir! (Also, I need to play that recipe game with Laura sometime. Sounds like a fun way to mix things up.)
David @ Spiced recently posted…Torta Pasqualina
Thanks, David! It is a fun game, and it certainly worked out well! I’m eager to try it again. It’s like Wheel of Hotdish!
I am a lamb (meat) lover. This lamb, spices and vegetables combination dish looks tasty and really comfort dish. This recipe is new for me. Thank you for sharing Chef!
bread&salt recently posted…Turkish Style Rice Pudding (Sütlaç) Recipe
You’re welcome!
Love goldfish crackers, but I can’t remember ever using them in an actual dish. Gotta try this — sounds like a lot of fun. Tasty, too. 🙂 Thanks!
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Curried Oatmeal Risotto
You’re welcome, John! I considered leaving them whole, thinking that might be fun, but wasn’t sure it’d work.
What fun! Love how you did this! Perhaps I can do this to Manservant when my brain runs out of ideas when it comes to what I cook. But honestly, it was those goldfish crackers that made me swoon!
Abbe@This is How I Cook recently posted…Healthy Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries
Haha! Well, the goldfish weren’t my husband’s idea, but they were his fault. He went on this goldfish kick, where he was packing them with his lunch every day. So, he was buying the gallon-size box. Then he abruptly went off them, and I had this half-full, mammoth container that I had to find some way to get out of my cupboard! Two cups put a nice dent in it.
Well, I’m raising my own goldfish in the backyard pond. Some of them are more than 10 years old so you can see that I’ve been waiting for just the right recipe. Thanks, GREG
Happy Aprils Fools Day! GREG
Haha! Aged 10 years! Got to be delicious!
OH my gosh, I LOVE the goldfish on top, that’s genius!!!! This hotdish is truly the definition of comfort food. And that’s awesome that you and your husband came up with the hotdish components definition Family-Feud style! 😄
Thanks! It was fun, and it turned out great!
Love the backstory on this recipe–so awesome. It’s like MadLibs for recipes! Not sure how I feel about the goldfish on top, but it may be completely genius.
I never thought of that! It is like MadLibs! The goldfish crackers I used mainly to get rid of them – always a concern for a home cook – but also because I’d read that hotdish usually has a kind of … shall we say “unsophisticated?” … topping, like tater tots. They didn’t brown like I assumed they would, so I was a bit disappointed that they stayed so orange. But they tasted great! Were I to do this again – and I’m sure I will – I would’ve left maybe half of the goldfish whole. I think that’d be fun. Anyway, if you didn’t want to use goldfish, breadcrumbs would be great.
Sounds excellent, Jeff. A lot of flavors I really enjoy brought together in a warming casserole. What’s not to like? Love the fact it was born of a fun game.. Have an awesom Easter.
Frank Fariello recently posted…Romeo Salta’s Easter Salad
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Will the name alone – hotdish – really makes this so appealing! It just sounds like comfort personified… or culinarified. Definitely something to try, but most likely when the weather cools down again.
I’m sure you’re already heading into some warm weather where you live. Today in Chicago, it’s a beautiful, sunny, 60-degree spring day. But only a week ago, the highs dipped into the mid-thirties. I’ll bet you don’t miss that sort of thing!
Happy Easter!
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Ok. You know I don’t eat lamb, but I can still appreciate a good recipe. The gold fish crackers really intrigue me! Very clever..
Thanks, Judge! I think a mushroon version would be delicious!
This is definitely some great comfort food. I love lamb and this is the time of year I tend to eat it more often.
Dahn recently posted…Easy Chipotle Aioli
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This is a very interesting combination of ingredients. And the goldfish crackers makes this fun. Haven’t worked with ground lamb before, but since we love lamb, I’m sure this would be a very enjoyable dish for us.
mjskitchen recently posted…Kimchi Vegetables – Quick & Easy
Thank you! You know, I haven’t either. My husband was sure it wasn’t going to work, and that the lamb would be too dry, but that was not at all the case.
Mi piace molto l’agnello, un ottimo piatto!
speedy70 recently posted…PAN COLOMBA al ROSMARINO
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There’s just something about lamb and rice that go together so well. This looks amazing Jeff!
Neil recently posted…Slow Cooker Beef And Ale Stew
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Your Hotdish recipe reminds my of the cooking show Chopped where you had to make a dish out of ingredients in a “mystery basket” that most of the time were a little unusual. 😂 I think I might have had to leave a few of the goldfish whole.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…Claude Monet, The Artist’s Garden And Home
Yes, I wish I’d done that. It does remind me of a mystery basket! I’m so glad my husband named
“normal” foods. After all, I didn’t tell him what I was doing. I just said, “Name a…” It wasn’t until much later that I told him that I was going to make something based on his answers.
I’ve really wanted to like lamb in the past, but I just couldn’t get behind it. However, I would think that the flavors would still marry well with ground turkey?
Theresa recently posted…Lemon Cream Pie
I would think so, although since turkey’s more of a carte blanche, you might want to punch up the flavors a bit. Maybe some garlic?
Great suggestion on the garlic!
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I know my husband would love this, he is a huge lamb fan. It’s really difficult to find Ontario lamb in Ontario, most of what the supermarkets carry is New Zealand lamb which is surprising to me. And if you do find Ontario lamb, it’s so expensive, bordering on unaffordable. But if I do spot Ontario lamb, I’ll definitely give this a go.
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That’s interesting. I wonder why that would be? (Actually, just out of curiosity, I did a quick internet search, and it seems that sheep farming is a relatively small industry in Canada.)
This dish is new to me. And I loved what all I saw in the ingredient list 😀
Thanks!