Name: Kimchi Rice Bake with Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons neutral oil ((such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, divided)); ½ cup finely chopped onion; 1 cup mushrooms ((button, cremini, oyster, shiitake, chopped)); ¾ cup kimchi ((coarsely chopped)); 1-2 tablespoons kimchi juice; 2 cups cooked white rice; 2 tablespoons gochujang; ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese ((or any good melting cheese; use more if you like)); 2 eggs; Chopped scallion ((optional garnish))

This baked kimchi rice with cheese is surprisingly easy to make (with just 10 ingredients), vegetarian (if you use a vegan kimchi), and so tasty and satisfying! If you’ve never tried this combination, you’ll be shocked at how well the tangy spicy kimchi goes with creamy melted cheese.

Kimchi & Cheese: A Winning Combination

We have a delicious kimchi fried rice recipe that Kaitlin posted years ago, but this dish highlights the combination of spicy, sour kimchi and rich, creamy cheese!

Perhaps you’ve seen cheesy kimchi recipes popping up around the internet. Perhaps you’ve heard of kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches or cheesy kimchi ramen. Much like the combination of sauerkraut and swiss cheese on a reuben sandwich, the flavors of the fermented kimchi and salty, buttery cheese are the perfect counterpoints.

This is the kind of dish that makes you want to curl up on the couch with your favorite K-drama playing in the background!

An Easy, Malleable Recipe

This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice. I wrote this recipe to serve 2, so you don’t need a lot of rice to make it—just 2 cups. So if you have a small amount of rice left in the refrigerator and aren’t sure how to use it, this recipe is just the thing. (You could also try my quick Ban Fan 拌饭 Mixed Rice Bowl.)

I just used onion, mushrooms, and kimchi to keep it simple, but you could add other vegetables — peppers, peas, carrots, corn, whatever you like.

I actually find this kimchi rice bake to be easier to make than our kimchi fried rice. You don’t actually need to fry the rice, but rather cook the vegetables and then mix in the rice, kimchi, and seasonings off the heat. But with the cheese and fried egg on top, I think it’s more impressive-looking. Don’t you agree?

Shredded mozzarella cheese here, but you can use any cheese that melts well—monterey jack, colby jack, fontina, cheddar, gruyere, muenster, or even American cheese. I’ve made this recipe with sharp aged cheddar, and the flavor was punchier and more aromatic.

You can also add more cheese than I added! If I were making it for Sarah and Kaitlin, I certainly would increase the amount.

On to the recipe!

Baked Kimchi Rice: Recipe Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes, or until it begins to turn translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes until tender.

Turn off the heat, and mix in the kimchi, kimchi juice, cooked rice, and gochujang until well-combined.

Transfer to a small baking dish. I had this clay pot which worked both on the stove and in the oven. If you have a similar type of baking dish, you can just spread the rice out in one even layer, and keep it in the same cooking vessel: