This Easy Mixed Vegetable Rice is my newest obsession. I know what you are thinking – strange, weird, just a little a bit out there.
But this fluffy seasoned rice pilaf tossed with mixed vegetables is so yummy, so simple, and so perfect on EVERYTHING. It’s a wonderful rice side dish that your whole family will love!
I made a large batch, like ultra large batch, of this Easy Mixed Vegetable Rice the other night, and it has been the side dish that went with ALL THE THINGS we ate since then.
Salmon, chicken, pork, beef, a bunch of random veggies, inside a taco (that’s my husband’s new thing), by itself for lunch when there’s nothing else to eat (me this afternoon).
This Vegetable Rice recipe seriously goes with EVERYTHING.
It’s a simple rice side dish that you need in your hip pockets because it also happens to be very flavorful and very delicious.
The funny thing is I made this rice pilaf with vegetable dish totally on accident. I wanted some fluffy rice to go with the baked salmon I was making for dinner one evening. If you have been following my insta-stories on Instagram, you might recall 😉 .
I saw rice in the pantry, and also one of my favorite seasoning in the world – Better than Bouillon, Roasted Chicken Based. And we were out of veggies – except for a bag of frozen mixed veggies in the fridge.
At that fateful moment, this Easy Mixed Vegetable Rice came into existence.
INGREDIENTS FOR EASY MIXED VEGETABLE RICE
Mixed Vegetable Rice is a super simple recipe that calls for a short list of pantry-friendly ingredients. 5 ingredients, to be exact:
Rice – my favorite rice to use for this recipe is basmati rice. Basmati rice is commonly used in Indian and Mediterranean cooking, and is fragrant and has a light and fluffy texture. I highly recommend using that for this recipe. Other rice such as long grain, jasmine etc works as well, I just prefer basmati. Do not use minute rice or already-cooked rice for this recipe.
Chicken bouillon – this is responsible for seasoning the Vegetable Rice and giving it plenty of flavor. My only advice is to use good quality chicken bouillon because it will make such a difference to the flavor of your dish! If you are trying to figure out what are good bullion’s to use, I highly recommend the Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Based (which is what I use here) or Trader Joe’s Chicken Flavor Bouillon concentrate.
Mixed vegetables – grab a bag of frozen vegetables! They usually consist of peas, carrots, corn and green beans already chopped into small pieces. That’s the easiest, quickest way to go about this recipe.
Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. Avoid substituting with garlic powder.
Cooking oil – your favorite cooking oil – vegetable oil, avocado oil, olive oil…whatever you have at hand works!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE RICE
I’m going to walk you through how to make this easy Vegetable Rice recipe.
All you need is a medium pot with a lid (to cover the rice while it cooks), and it takes no more than 25 minutes from start to finish.
Start by heating pot with cooking oil and searing minced garlic and rice in the pot.
Once garlic is fragrant, add water and chicken bouillon to the pot.
Keep in mind that different chicken bouillon will be different in terms of its salt levels, flavor etc. I am recommending 2 tablespoons of the Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Based for this recipe, but adjust accordingly if you are using another chicken bouillon. Or if you prefer it less or more salty.
Give rice a stir and let it come to a boil. Then immediately lower heat to medium low and cover with lid.
Cook rice pilaf for 15-17 minutes. I like to check at the 15 minute mark.
Once it’s done, add in defrosted mixed vegetables (I usually microwave it briefly) and give rice and vegetables a stir. Mixed vegetables is a great add in to the rice because mixed vegetables = easy peasy.
It’s a super easy ingredient, and it is after all, vegetables, which always makes me feel like I am putting good stuff in my tummy. Even if it is a few sprinkle of it over a large bed of rice.
Fluff Mixed Vegetable Rice and remove from heat promptly.
And that’s it! Serve rice and vegetables with your favorite protein, or enjoy it on its own!
Incredibly flavorful, great textures, this Easy Mixed Vegetable Rice side is perfect side for any meal! It also keeps really well, and seriously, it goes with everything! Except maybe ice cream. 😉
STORAGE AND REHEATING
Mixed Vegetable Rice stores and reheats incredible well.
Keep it in an air tight container in the refrigerator and you can store it for up to 7 days.
When ready to reheat, simply reheat in microwave, and it tastes just like it was freshly made!
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