How to Make Baked Rice with Mushrooms (Like a Church Lady)
Here is the recipe for baked rice with mushrooms, beef consomme, and butter that church ladies made for potlucks and “dinner on the ground.”
This Rice is a Southern Staple
Known as “church lady rice,” “mushroom rice” or “rice casserole,” this dish is a yummy Southern staple. Anyone who is older than 50 and who grew up attending church potlucks knows this rice very well. There would always be at least one (usually more) casserole dish of this rice at any picnic, potluck, or special event.
Is this baked rice easy to prepare?
Absolutely! This dish is super easy to make with only a few steps and mostly canned ingredients. All you really have to do is add the ingredients into a pan with some melted butter and bake. That’s it! Super easy AND super delicious!
Use REAL Butter for this Rice
Real butter is a key ingredient for this rice. Don’t be tempted to use margarine. It will “work,” but it won’t be as good as it will if real dairy butter is used. I use unsalted; there is plenty of sodium in the soup.
Make baked rice with mushrooms ahead of time.
The rice can be made early in the day (even the day before) and reheated just before serving. It reheats beautifully in the microwave or on a very low oven (250 F to 300 F) for 15 minutes or until heated through.
What type of rice works best in the baked rice casserole?
I am a fan of Uncle Ben’s converted (parboiled) rice and use it exclusively whenever white rice is called for in a recipe. It turns out perfectly every single time. It is a tad more expensive than store-brand rice or bulk rice in bags (Uncle Ben’s is in a box), but occasionally Publix will have it on sale BOGO.
Do I need to stir the rice while cooking?
Nope, once you pop it into the oven, it’ll be good to cook for 30-40 minutes. You’re going to want to stir it loosely before you put it in the oven and once the ingredients have been mixed with the melted butter.
Are fresh or canned mushrooms best for this dish?
I truly believe that most sweet church ladies used canned mushrooms for this rice (and it was fabulous; trust me). If you are a stickler for making things “bigger and better,” use a carton of real mushrooms. Sauté them first in butter and then add them to the recipe.
How long do you cook baked rice?
After you have melted the butter and added all of the ingredients on top of the butter and stirred loosely, make sure that your oven is set to 350F. I recommend baking this dish for 30-40 minutes. Make sure that you bake it until the top is golden brown. This dish is best when the top is a little bit crispy!
How can you make baked mushroom rice healthier?
If you have a rice cooker and want to make a healthy (but delicious) version of this rice, you are in luck!!! I share how to make it in this blog post: Easy French Onion Brown Rice in an Aroma Rice Cooker. You won’t believe how easy it is. If you don’t have an aroma rice cooker, I HIGHLY recommend it. You can find it here on amazon. It is one of my most used, favorite kitchen workhorses.
If you try this, I’d love to hear how you like it. If you have a version of this recipe that you love, feel free to share in the comments of this post. I try to reply quickly to everyone who writes!
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Baked Rice with Mushrooms
Southern "church lady rice" made with beef consomme, real butter, and mushrooms!
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter or margarine
- 1 cup long grain white rice (I use Uncle Ben's parboiled)
- 1 can Campbell's French onion soup
- 1 can Campbell's beef consomme
- 1 carton sliced mushrooms (or 8-oz canned sliced)
Instructions
- Place stick of butter in 11 x 13 casserole dish.
- Place in oven; turn temperature to 350 degrees.
- Remove dish when butter is melted.
- Add rice, soups, and mushrooms to dish atop melted butter.
- Stir loosely with fork or spoon so that all rice is dispersed in liquid.
- Place dish in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 127Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 24mgSodium 168mgCarbohydrates 7gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 1gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 3g
Hi Bette! That will work just fine!!!!!!
The recipe calls for an 11 X 13 inch casserole dish. None of mine are that large. Will a 9 X 13 inch dish be ok?
Taylor, I would make the recipe twice following the original. Doubling a recipe often turns out less than optimal. Hope this makes sense!!!
what would be the portions if I wanted to double this recipe?
Hi Elaine! I suggest reducing the liquid by 1/2 cup. Also, leave the rice in the oven until it is firm (no jiggle). Let me know how this works!
HELP
I have made this twice. Followed the recipe to the letter. Both times I ended up with something more like soup than a casserole.
Please advise
Thanks
You certainly can!!! I use it all the time!!
Can I use regular rice?
Hi Gen; use it right out of the can!! Hope you enjoy!
On the soup and broth do I use it right out of the can
Or do I add water
Hi Barbara! I’ve only made this version, but I am sure onions could work. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try!!
Have you ever put onions in it or is best to make as recipe states. There are a few things I’ve thought would be good additives. Broccoli or corn are two I’ve wondered about.
Hi Charlie! I always use Uncle Ben’s converted/parboiled rice but those should work also!!!
Can Basmati or Jasmine rice be used for thus?
Hi Susan! I’ve never included pork chops in this so can’t help with a recipe. Perhaps you can do a google search? I’d love to hear what you find!!!!
I want to put pork chops in with the rice. How would you incorporate?
Hi Megan, thanks for sharing this. I think this is a great make-ahead option, as rice does fine/sometimes better, when soaked!!
My grandma always put it together completely and let it soak overnight before cooking.
Jackie, I always drain mine!!!! Hope you enjoy!!!
Do you drain the mushrooms?
Hi Cindy, that is frustrating for a staple like soup to be out of stock. I’ll bet the ones you have will taste great! Please let us know!!!!
My store has been out of beef consomme every time I go up there. The fact is they are always low on all the soups used in casserole dishes. So I am going to use one can of golden mushroom and one can of french onion. Hope it works. I Will let you know.
Hi Sherrill, I think it can be doubled as long as you use the right proportions! You might want to use a larger baking dish (or just use 2 regular dishes). Hope this helps!!
Can this be doubled or made1 1/2 times? One cup of rice might not feed the six adults and three grands?thank you!
Hi Annette, so interesting to hear your story of potlucks! It must be regional, bc EVERY potluck I went to (and like you~I went to many haha) there was this rice!!! It is yummy; that is for SURE!!! So happy to hear from you!!! Blessings to you and yours!! XoXo
Hi! I am from the Mississippi Gulf Coast – 54 years now – this Southern dish I had never heard of or made or even eaten (and I’ve been to many church potlucks), until my daughter married a man whose family was from Yazoo City, Mississippi. My daughter’s mother-in-law made this and brought to her after my daughter came home from the hospital after having her baby (who is the “VI” (her mother-in-law’s first grandchild, and my 5th). I mean to tell you, after I ate this, i had to have the recipe, and then commenced to share it with my whole family. We really love this and am so happy to have a new recipe/tradition brought into our family. You will love it!