This light, flavourful and easy vegetable rice is the perfect side for your weekday dinner. It’s a two-in-one carb and veggie combo so you only have to worry about one side dish.
This easy vegetable rice is the perfect side for a weeknight dinner. In fact, it will become your favourite dish since it’s a two-in-one carb and veggie. It whips up in just over 20 minutes, it’s healthy and light.
I guess you can say that this is a very basic take on fried rice with minimal flavouring and minimal cooking.
It’s a simple mix of white rice, although you can use any rice you like, with a frozen vegetable mix. I like using a vegetable mix with edamame beans that add some extra protein.
This also makes this dish a delicious snack the next day, if you have any left over. You can heat it up in the microwave or throw it back in a pan with some oil.
Preparing Easy Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
Long-grain Rice: Basmati and Jasmine rice are both types of long-grain rice as well as American long-grain white and brown rice. Long-grain rice stays fluffy when cooked and separates nicely.
Oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
Yellow Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Frozen Vegetable Medley: This mix of vegetables usually contains carrots, peas, green beans and corn kernels which are all frozen. Sometimes the mix can contain other vegetables or even legumes such as edamame. They will all fit in perfectly in this cauliflower soup.
Bouillon powder: This powder is essentially dehydrated stock. You can also get it in a cube but I find the powder is easier to manage quantities. This powder when mixed with liquid (usually hot water) creates instant stock. Because it is concentrated, I find that bouillon powder adds more flavour than just adding some stock.
How to Make Simple Vegetable Rice
As always there are just a few steps to this recipe. The most prep you’ll have to do is to dice some onion. But, if you’re not up for it, lucky for you, the onion is optional.
Ok, so we actually start with the rice. Start by cooking the rice. If you are using a microwave, place the rice, water, and salt into a microwave-safe dish and cover with a lid. Set the microwave time for 20 minutes and power level to 60%.
TIP for setting the power level on a microwave: Most microwaves have either a ‘power’ or ‘power level’ button. The power level will be entered in either single digits – 6 = 60% – or double digits – 60 = 60%. If you haven’t used this feature before a quick internet search will yield videos for your specific microwave oven.
If you are cooking the rice on the stovetop, pour the water, rice, and salt into a pot. Set it to medium and cook for roughly 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
CAUTION: Keep an eye out to make sure that the rice doesn’t burn. You want to cook it just until all the water is absorbed, which may be less than the estimated 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, peel and dice the onion, if you choose to add it. It does add a sweetness to the dish but you won’t miss it if you’re not a fan.
Next, heat up the oil in a pan on medium heat.
Once it’s hot, add the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion begins to soften. If you prefer the extra sweet and slightly smoky flavour of browned onions feel free to take it to the next level.
Once the onion is the texture that you desire, add the frozen vegetables. Saute them for a couple of minutes then add the bouillon powder and a quarter cup of water to the pan.
Stir everything well to dissolve the powder and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. If you’re finding the pan to be too dry feel free to add a bit more water.
Once the veggies are cooked, remove the pan from the heat. When the rice is ready, add it to the pan with the vegetables and stir everything to combine well.
Serving Easy Vegetable Rice
This rice is excellent with any main dish. It is light and flavourful so it will enhance any meal. Its also a carb and veg in one so you can skip another side if you so choose.
I love to serve this rice with seafood and chicken as my favourite pairings. Try it with our peri peri chicken or our spicy chili shrimp.
I often garb the leftovers of this vegetable rice as a snack all on its own.
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Easy Vegetable Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Large pan (11-inch)
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 cup frozen vegetable medley
- 1 tsp bouillon powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add rice and 2 cups of water to a microwave-safe dish. Place it in the microwave for 20 minutes on 60% power.1 cup long-grain rice
- Peel and dice the onion.1/4 cup diced onion
- Add oil to a large pan and warm on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the onion begins to soften.1 tbsp oil
- Add the frozen vegetable medley and sauté for another 2 minutes.1 cup frozen vegetable medley
- Add 1 tsp bouillon powder and 1/4 cup water to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.1 tsp bouillon powder
- Remove the pan from heat and add the freshly cooked rice to the pan. Toss everything well until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with your favourite main.
