This easy Portobello Fig and Feta Skillet Rice dinner pairs fragrant basmati rice with the bold flavors of deeply caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms with sweet bites of jammy figs and salty crumbles of feta cheese.
Vegetarian | Vegan Options | Gluten-Free
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There’s always that pizza on every pizza place’s menu that combines caramelized onions with something salty, something sweet and a bit of greens. THAT’S the one I gravitate towards. I love the spectrum of tastes that just make my tongue happy.
This dish mimics those flavors and becomes a filling, satisfying meal on its own or works as a yummy side dish for a larger crowd. I love using portobello (or portabella…both are correct) mushrooms to give a dish that umami flavor, especially when browned deeply. Sweet onions add a bit more sweet umami when golden and soft, but my favorite flavor comes from these wonderfully jammy California Figs. I love to use Sun-Maid’s Golden Figs in this recipe, but Mission Figs from either Sun-Maid or Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice would be delicious.
Figs are one of my favorite fruits. In fact, we just planted a fig tree in our garden this year. No luck with any figs yet, but we’ve got our fingers crossed. Regardless, fig season is super short, so I love using either Blue Ribbon Orchards Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs from Valley Fig Growers, a fig-grower owned cooperative based in Central California. The flavors of figs are so intense and sweet. I use them on cheeseboards, in baking, in salads and just for snacking on. Figs are a good source of fiber and are a yummy way to add sweetness without using refined sugars.
So, if you are like me, and love sweet and savory flavors, give this easy skillet rice a try. My family loves it!
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 1¾ cups water
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 large portobello mushrooms, wiped, gills and stalk removed and sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced
- salt and black pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- 6 ounces Sun-Maid California Golden Figs, halved
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- crushed red pepper
- olive oil
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed and drained basmati rice and water. Bring to a light boil and reduce to simmer on low for about 20 minutes, lightly covered.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the portobello slices and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften and just begin to brown. Add the sliced onion and continue cooking until the onions have wilted and become a deep golden brown. This can take up to 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce your heat if the onions begin to get too dark too quickly.
- Add the wine and the figs. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half.
- To serve, top the hot rice with the arugula, then pour the onion mixture over the arugula. Top with the feta crumbles and crushed red pepper, if desired. I like to drizzle the top with just a bit of olive oil, then return the pan to the heat to get a bit of a crust on the bottom of the rice. This isn’t necessary, but it adds a deliciously crisp layer that I love.
Sun-Maid’s Golden Figs may be substituted with Mission Figs from either Sun-Maid or Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice.
Feel free to substitute the portobellos with 16 ounces of either small cremini or white button mushrooms.
Sweet and salty together any day, Caroline! This has all the flavors I love… and the umami mushrooms take it over the top! I just bought my first fresh figs for the year and can’t wait to cook with them! Thank you for your inspiration and beautiful work!
Thanks so much, Traci! Enjoy those figs!
WOW, that looks good! We gravitate toward the same kinds of pizza. :)
Thanks so much, Carrie!
Oh, how I wish I had a fig tree! I stole some from my mom recently and they were divine. You can never enough figs in my opinion. Next time I get my hands on some I want to try this for dinner — it looks stellar!
I can’t get enough of them either, Susannah! Thanks so much…hope you love it!
Wow! What an awesome combination of flavors Caroline! I just made some fig jam, so I’m sort of on a fig roll! I’ll need to go grab some more and get cooking. Thanks so much for sharing. Hope all is well. Have a wonderful week!
Oh, fig jam sounds incredible, Mary Ann! I would love that recipe! Thanks for stopping in! xo
Oh my goodness, this looks phenomenal. I adore figs, but I’ve just realized I am not cooking with them nearly often enough! We moved last year from a house with a neighbor that had the most glorious fig tree that hung over the fence, and we were welcome to take what we wanted. Now that that’s not the case, I must start buying more figs, because yum!
Amber, you’ll love them added to your cooking! They get even tastier, I think! Ahhh…I’m looking forward to seeing our little fig tree finally produce some figs. I’ve heard it can take years!