Italian Rice aka Ruff Rice
by Lidia Bastianich on Oct 6, 2025
In the Lidia Celebrates America special A Nation of Neighbors, Lidia Bastianich visits food influencer Kiki Ruff, whose popular “Recession Recipes” series has made cooking approachable with simple, budget-friendly, and adaptable meals. Together, Kiki and Lidia prepare a dish passed down from Kiki’s mother-in-law, Susan Ruff. As Kiki shares, "my mother-in-law raised six boys on one income, and this was a staple dish. So one of the reasons I wanted to make this one is because it's super versatile."
- Course
- Entree
Tags
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2/3 cup chopped celery or zucchini
- 4 cups diced tomatoes (2 small cans)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- basil to taste
Instructions
-
Brown the beef, drain the fat
-
In a large pan on the stove, sauté the onion, pepper and celery in oil
-
Add the meat and the rest of the ingredients
-
Cook for 30 minutes (covered, on the stove)
-
If needed, stir occasionally and add more water
