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Maltese baked rice (ross il-forn) with meat, tomato, and cheese – a golden, crispy-topped slice.

Maltese Baked Rice (Ross il-Forn)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
A Maltese-inspired baked rice (Ross il-Forn) made with savoury beef mince, tomato, cheese, and spices — no parboiling required. The rice cooks in the sauce for a flavour-packed, sliceable bake. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners, family meals, and comfort food lovers.
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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.

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.