Vermicelli Rice Pilaf — The Casserole That Closes the Circle

The cookbook tour is being finalized. Sarah confirmed: seven cities. San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Nashville, and — Norfolk. NORFOLK. The reading in Norfolk is happening. October 15th. I'll read at a bookstore in the city where I grew up, the city where Mom kept the recipe binder through three deployments, the city where Dad came home from Kandahar with different eyes. I'll read the pot roast headnote. In Norfolk. Where the pot roast began. And then we'll go to Mom's kitchen. And she'll make fried chicken. And I'll sit at her table — the table where I ate a thousand dinners, the table where I learned that cooking is love made visible — and I'll sign books. 'A book signing in my kitchen?' Mom said. 'In your kitchen, Mom. Where it all started.' 'I'll make the fried chicken.' 'Obviously.' The Norfolk reading. The kitchen signing. The circle. Caleb finished a chapter book about sharks that was 200 pages long. He read it in four days. Mr. Gomez said 'I don't have any more shark books. He's read them all.' The school library has been depleted of marine biology content by a single first grader. Hazel made a 'cookbook' at preschool. Construction paper stapled together, with drawings of 'recipes' — scribbles labeled (by Miss Jenna) as 'pink soup,' 'cracker cake,' and 'flamingo pie.' Her creative output is on-brand. Made Mom's chicken and rice casserole tonight. The one hundred recipe. The first and the last. Norfolk in October. The casserole. The circle continues.

I called it the one-hundred recipe — the dish I made the night Norfolk became official, the night the circle closed. Mom’s chicken and rice casserole has always been the meal I reach for when something big happens, when I need the kitchen to hold me the way she always has. This Vermicelli Rice Pilaf is the heart of that casserole: toasted pasta, tender rice, warm broth — simple, golden, and exactly right for a night when everything felt like it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

Vermicelli Rice Pilaf

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup vermicelli pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Toast the vermicelli. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the broken vermicelli pieces and stir frequently, cooking for 3–4 minutes until the pasta turns a deep golden brown. Watch carefully — it can go from golden to burnt quickly.
2. Add the rice. Stir in the uncooked rice and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring to coat the grains in the butter and toast them lightly alongside the vermicelli.
3. Add broth and seasonings. Pour in the chicken broth and add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir once to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Simmer covered. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 18–20 minutes — until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is tender.
5. Rest and fluff. Remove from heat and let the pilaf rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff gently with a fork.
6. Serve. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve warm alongside roasted or pan-seared chicken for a complete meal.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 280 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 47g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 420mg