Tricolor Rice Timbale to Make Ahead for a Festive Dinner

This tricolor rice timbale is a festive recipe for baked risotto rice layered in white, green and red in a ring mould, with a creamy sauteed pork in the centre. I prepare it the day before and bake it just before dinner. The colours can change with the theme of the holiday, for example with squash for Thanksgiving.

The tricolor rice timbale is the festive way to present my baked rice pilaf.

My mother learned to make pilaf with risotto rice at her amateur cooking classes at the Cordon Bleu in Rome, and she made it for dinner parties so she was not stuck in the kitchen when the guests arrived.

The ring follows the same idea.

Everything is prepared before the guests sit down, so I can stay at the table with them instead of standing at the stove stirring a risotto.

Especially in the south of Italy, we often serve baked pasta or rice dishes at large dinner parties, because they can be prepared ahead of time and baked just before serving them.

In my family it is often a sartù napoletano, a lasagna di carnevale, the tagliatelle pie, baked anelletti or the rice timbale with eggplants.

In this recipe the centre of the ring holds a creamy sauteed pork with sausage, peas, carrot and celery, although you can use any other stew.

Ingredients for the tricolor rice timbale

For the tricolor rice timbale you need the following ingredients.

• Risotto rice: Carnaroli or Arborio, the same rice as my baked pilaf. Other types of rice cook in different times. I buy an Italian brand, Riso Gallo or Scotti.
• Stock: I use homemade stock.
• Onion: diced, as in my baked pilaf.
• Butter: you can use olive oil instead, but butter gives the rice a special flavour.
• Parmigiano Reggiano: freshly grated.
• Spinach: it colours the green part of the ring. I use fresh spinach, boiled and squeezed, but frozen spinach works too.
• Tomato sauce: it colours the red part of the ring.
• Olive oil: for the mould.
• Salt

Find the measurements in the recipe card.

Substitutions

To change the colour of the timbale, you can replace the tomato sauce with squash or carrots for an orange tone, or with beetroot for a deep purple.

Cook the vegetables first, then mash or purée them before mixing them into the rice.

Special equipment

• Casserole or ceramic baking dish with a tight-fitting lid that can go in the oven, or covered with aluminium foil
• Bundt mould: metal or silicone, plain or shaped. I use a fluted silicone mould from a set of 9, 10 and 12 cups.

Step by step instructions

1. Heat the stock until it boils.
2. Cook the diced onion in the butter at very low heat until it becomes translucent. The onion should not burn.
3. Add the rice and keep the heat medium-low, stirring, until the grains are dry. The rice should not turn brown.
4. Transfer the rice to a baking dish with a lid and pour in all the stock. Make sure the stock is boiling hot.
5. Bake it covered in a preheated oven at 430°F (220°C) for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, chop the spinach finely.
7. Take the rice out of the oven and stir in the grated Parmigiano.
8. Divide the rice into three equal parts.
9. Mix the spinach into one part and the tomato sauce into another.
10. Grease the mould very well with olive oil. Spoon in the rice, alternating the colours as in the photo, and press it lightly as you go.
11. Bake the timbale at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes,
12. Then wait 10 minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate.
13. To serve, pour half of the stew or filling you have chosen into the centre of the ring and serve the rest in a warmed sauce boat. Serve straight away.

Note: to make it ahead, fill the mould the day before, keep it in the fridge and bake it just before dinner.

Serving suggestions

I fill the ring with my creamy sauteed pork with sausage and peas.

The sauteed pork can be made the day before too.

You can also fill it with my spezzatino in bianco, the pork tenderloin with apples or the wild boar stew with chocolate made with pork shoulder.

Other stews work too, as long as the sauce is not too liquid, which is why I would not use maiale al latte.

For a vegetable filling, I use my Italian baked ratatouille.

FAQ

Can I make the tricolor rice timbale ahead? Yes. I fill the mould the day before, keep it in the fridge and bake it just before dinner.

How do I stop the rice timbale sticking to the mould? Grease the mould very well with olive oil and press the rice in lightly.

How long should the timbale rest before I turn it out? Wait 10 minutes after baking before turning it out onto the serving plate. If you turn it out while it is still hot from the oven, it may break.

How long do I cook the rice before filling the mould? The rice bakes covered in the oven for 20 minutes at 430°F (220°C), with the stock boiling hot when it goes in.

Do I need eggs to hold the rice together? No, this recipe has no eggs.

What rice is best for a tricolor rice timbale? Carnaroli or Arborio, the risotto rice I use for my baked pilaf. Other types of rice cook in different times.

How long does the timbale keep in the fridge? It keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

More baked pasta and rice recipes

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