Maltese Baked Rice (Ross il-Forn) – Easy Oven-Baked Family Favourite
Baked rice — or Ross il-Forn as it’s known in Malta — is the ultimate comfort food classic, rich, savoury, and full of flavour. This easy Maltese baked rice recipe comes from one of my mum’s multicultural cookbooks, where two of her own recipes were published, and I only discovered it recently — now I know why it’s such a classic!
I’ve given the original recipe my own little twist — adjusting the rice-to-meat ratio, adding a few extra spices, and skipping the par-boiling altogether. The rice goes in raw, slowly soaking up all the beautiful flavours as it bakes to become tender, perfectly sliceable, and golden on top. It’s simple, hearty, and perfect for feeding the whole family.
If you enjoy this dish, you might also love my recipe for The Best Porcupine Meatballs – Tender, Juicy & Flavourful — another nostalgic favourite made with beef mince and rice, and just as comforting as this baked rice recipe.
Maltese Baked Rice (Ross il-Forn)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 large capsicum bell pepper, diced
- 500 g beef mince or pork, or a mix approx. 1 pound
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 690 g jar passata
- 1½ cups 375 ml water (rinse some in the passata jar to get it all out)
- 2 tsp beef stock powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar or more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ cups basmati or long-grain rice ≈ 280 g, basmati uncooked
- 120 g grated tasty cheddar about 1 heaped cup
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 eggs beaten
For the dish & topping
- Butter for greasing
- 1 cup extra grated cheddar (for the top)
Instructions
Sauté aromatics:
- Heat pan over medium, add olive oil. Cook onion and capsicum 3–4 min until starting to soften.
Brown mince:
- Add beef, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up, until browned.
Bloom spices:
- Stir in garlic, tomato paste, curry powder and paprika; cook 1–2 min until fragrant.
Build the sauce:
- Add chopped tomatoes, passata, water, stock powder, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil; simmer 10 min.
Prep oven & dish:
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C (320 °F) fan or 180 °C (355 °F) conventional/no fan. Grease a 30 × 25 cm (12 × 10 in) baking dish. Whisk the eggs.
Stir in rice & cheeses:
- Remove pan from stove and stir in uncooked rice, cheddar, and parmesan. Gradually stir in the beaten eggs while continuously mixing so they incorporate smoothly without scrambling.
First bake (covered):
- Pour into the dish, leaving a little headroom for rice to expand. Cover with lid/foil. Bake 30 min.
Stir & top:
- Remove foil, remove bay leaf, gently stir to redistribute rice, level the top. Scatter the extra cheddar.
Second bake (uncovered):
- Return to oven 30 min, until the top is golden and rice is tender.
Rest & serve:
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan, rest for 10 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife. Serve with salad, vegetables or simply by itself.
Video
Notes
- Using raw rice prevents mushiness and gives neat slices.
- If using regular long-grain rice, the texture will be a little softer than basmati.
- All ovens are different, so check at the 30-minute mark to see if the rice is starting to swell and become softer — it doesn’t need to be fully cooked, but it should be almost cooked before baking for the remaining 30 minutes uncovered.
- Any long-grain rice works well.
- Beef/pork mince combinations work beautifully. Spice levels can be adjusted to taste.
- If you don’t like capsicum, you can swap it for chopped zucchini.
