Rice Casserole With Pine Nuts

2 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp light brown sugar
3 tsp paprika
2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice
28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup toasted pine nuts

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 3-qt baking dish.
2) In large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables, garlic, bay leaves, dill, thyme and parsley. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, paprika and rice, and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and 2 cups water. Bring mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3) Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Cover, and bake until rice is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves, sprinkle with pine nuts, and serve warm.

Review: Ok, I used instant rice and baked for half an hour. And, the original recipe was half of these amounts, but only made two servings. This was SUCH a savory dish, which is hard to come by with vegetarian dishes. It almost tasted like chicken was in it! I totally loved this and will definitely be making it again!

I made this again on 1/4/2009 and used bulgur: