Side dishes!  Ugh.  They are so easy to get into a rut with, aren’t they?  I find myself just picking a bag of steamed veggies or making a salad a lot of the time.  They just work.  They’re healthy.  They’re easy.

And, lately, veggies and salads go great with our recent desire to be gluten-free and dairy-free.  But just because you’re gluten-free doesn’t mean you want to be carb-free, ya know?  Sometimes you still wanna nosh down something delicious and carb-y and just what you’re used to.

That’s where this Rice-A-Roni comes in for us.  There are a few different advantages to making this homemade:

1. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry.  No need to remember to pick up a box.
2. You can use gluten-free ingredients, making this gluten-free if needed.
3. You can customize it if you want more flavor in it by using a really flavorful broth or by using more herbs.
4. It’s still really easy.

Try it – I think you’ll really like it AND you’ll really like the flexibility that it gives you.

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Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1/2 cup spaghetti, broken into half inch pieces
• 1 cup long grain rice (not instant!)
• 3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) or 3 cups water with 3 bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add pasta and rice.  Cook until just beginning to brown.
• Add broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat to low and cover.
• Cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed.

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She tries to coupon, builds a smart stockpile, and always meal plans. While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better – she never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her on Instagram.

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