If you’re looking for a delicious side dish in a hurry, this Easy Vegetable Rice Pilaf is a definite winner!
I’m just starting to realize that I may have an obsession with cooking one skillet recipes.
Not every obsession is a bad thing right? I feel like this is a very good and very justified obsession.
Now I’m just saying obsession too much, aren’t I?
Let’s talk about this rice… OBSESSED!
Just kidding, but kinda. Ok, yeah, I am. It’s kind of nostalgic for me since I remember my mom making the boxed rice all the time for dinner when I was a kid. Only this time, I made it from scratch, and let me tell you… SO MUCH BETTER!
First of all- I can see all that’s going in there. Secondly- it makes way more and tastes superior.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m never opposed to using prepackaged items when I’m in a pinch.
But what is so awesome about this side of rice is that it cooks up just as fast as the boxed stuff!
I took my family’s favorite Mexican Rice recipe and switched it up slightly so I could have a tasty side to go with some pork, chicken or beef.
Just start by sautéing some diced onion, toss in the rice and let it toast slightly.
Stir in the seasonings and pour in some chicken broth. You can use water instead of chicken broth, but I love how much more flavor the chicken broth brings to the rice.
Cover the rice and let it cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in some frozen veggies. I chose peas and carrots, but you can toss in green beans, corn, broccoli or whatever floats your boat.
Then cover it back up and let it cook for 10 more minutes!
Once all the liquid is absorbed the rice should be tender and ready to enjoy!
I’m sticking with my word of the day when I say that I have a serious obsession with this rice.
My whole family loves it and I love how quick and easy it is too!
I wonder if there are any One Skillet Obsession support groups out there? 😉
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Easy Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 cup white long-grain rice, uncooked
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp basil leaves, dried (crushed)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup peas and carrots mix, frozen
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the rice and stir, until the rice is lightly toasted. Add the garlic salt, basil and turmeric to the skillet and stir until evenly combined.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and carrots, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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deb
very, very good!!
Spring
I added smoked paprika, black pepper and a bit more salt to this recipe and it was delicious! Thanks
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it! The smoked paprika sounds like a great addition!
Ivyhorse
All 4 of my family members (ages 48-7) loved the rice. I was so happy to find a flavorful rice & veggie recipe that wasn’t in a box! Thank you for sharing.
Shawn
Fantastic! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Marcia
We all loved this and it tasted much fancier than it was to make it. Paired with canned mushroom soup chicken breasts bake, it was an easy tasty dinner at the end of a VERY long day. It is called comfort food for a reason.
Karen K
I love the idea of adding peas and carrots! I already make my own rice pilaf but I use 1/2 c. Rice and 1/2 c. dry Orzo pasta. I lightly brown the orzo in the butter, then add the diced onion, cook until translucent, add fresh garlic, cook another minute then proceed as you do with the rice, broth and spices. So good! Thanks for the idea!
Shawn
Fantastic! I’m so glad you got some great ideas here! Enjoy!
Danny
Very delicious
Margie Ayala
Excellent and pretty easy!
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Nikita
So good and easy to make. Didn’t have any cumin but it was still flavorful and delicious. Will definitely try again with the cumin. Thanks for sharing!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Nikita!
Janice
Turned out really fluffy. I used jasmine rice and it worked wonderfully. Family lived it.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Janice!
Mona Aradeeb
I will make this for my family today (In Shaa Allah), I really liked your easy steps but I will be using canned peas instead.
Shawn
Canned peas should work just fine! Enjoy!
Ray
I followed the recipe precisely and this rice was absolutely disgusting. The people leaving these 5 star reviews clearly don’t know what good food tastes like
Shawn
I’m so sorry you didn’t have great results here. If you would like, you can email me and I can help troubleshoot what you might have messed up to have such terrible results? shawn@iwashyoudry.com
Merry Pearl
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS AND YOUR INSIGHT!
I’m of Latin descent and I have never been able to cook rice perfectly to save my life. It was a bit of a downer, given my heritage – but your easy step by step guide helped me make my first perfect rice in 20 years!
Thank you again!
Shawn
I’m so glad to hear it Merry! That’s awesome that you were able to make this rice and enjoy it!
Marilyn
Made this rice, and i tell you it was a hit! Savory and fluffy! I paired this rice with sausage and peppers and it was perfect. Great recipe!
Shawn
That’s wonderful to hear Marilyn! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Loriann O'Malia
This recipe is delicious! Loved the flavors of the basil and the turmeric. Used all fresh veggies and sautéed them with the onions in the beginning. We have a farm so added some of my frozen corn at the end. This recipe is a keeper, so glad I found it!
Charlene
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s comes out perfect every time. This rice recipe is very delicious and great with any protein especially fish. Thank you!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Charlene!
Joyce Powell
can I use Jasmine rice instead ? love the recipe…
Shawn
Yes!
Linus Spiller-Craft
This rice pilaf is DELICIOUS, OMG!!! I’ll always make it this way
Shawn
That’s awesome to hear you enjoyed it!
Shannon
Good recipe nice and simple was tasty
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Shannon!
Laura
Do you think this could be done in a rice cooker and skipping the saute part? I’m looking for easy recipes my 13yos can make (who are currently banned from using the stove).
Shawn
Hi Laura, I think that it would work just fine in the rice cooker! Enjoy!
kelly
I would like to make this with basmati rice, any recommendations for changing anything? And can I make this in my instapot?
Shawn
Basmati rice will substitute in the recipe. I have not tested this recipe in the instant pot. Hope this helps!
Kristy
Can I freeze this? I’m making it ahead of time for a party of 60 and would like to freeze ahead of time.
Shawn
Yes! Definitely! I would let it cool first before freezing.
Sonia
What can I substitute turmeric with?
Dawn
Saffron, but it is an expensive alternative.
Kelly M.
Any idea on the nutritional information for this recipe? Thanks!
Cheryll
This looks delish. Can I use Better Tyan Bouillon, Vegetarian, No Chicken Base or just veggie broth.
Shawn
You can definitely use the Better Than Bouillon. Just make sure to reconstitute it according to the package instructions. 🙂
Nooreen Jinah
Made this with basmati rice and it turned out beautifully! Thank you!
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Samantha
Just made this for my boyfriend and I. First try, absouelty delicious!
Kimberly Garcia
My rice was not fully cooked after the 20 minutes. Any suggestions?
Shawn
You need to make sure you bring the rice mixture to a boil before you reduce the heat to a simmer. If not, it will take longer to cook through.
Nicole
Hubby calls this the tasty rice. Easy recipe that’s always on rotation.
Shawn
Awesome!! So glad you guys enjoy it!
Johanna
How does it turn so yellow-ish? I will try to make this for my parents when they come and visit
Shawn
The turmeric turns the rice yellow. 🙂
mo
This recipe is very good, add more liquid if you add ingredients. Great taste, added splash of cumin, pepper and butter for flavor.
Shawn
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the great feedback!
Michelle
Can i make this using Minute Rice?
Shawn
Not without changing a few other things. It’s best to use regular rice for this cooking method.
Mary
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so tasty! My husband and I loved it and will add it to our weeknight meals rotation. Thanks for sharing.
Shawn
So good to hear Mary! I’m glad you guys enjoyed it!
Brenda Ariganello
Just made this tonite with barbecued chicken! Yummy and easy!
vivian
This was good, and very easy, as the name says. It pretties up a plate too! I used veggie broth to make it eatable for our whole family, and would add salt and pepper to taste next time. Thanks for a good recipe!
Amie
Can you substitute brown rice?
Shawn
Yes, for sure!
Rebekah
I did long grain brown rice and it was not even close to done. I added more water and cooked it probably 10 min longer and it still wasnt done 🙁
Shawn
Brown rice will take longer to cook because of type of rice it is. Brown rice takes a 1:2 ratio of rice to water to cook, and when adding it with the other ingredients in this recipe you’ll probably want to increase the liquid to 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 cups.
Linda
Made this last night. This was sooo good. Will be making this often.
As my son has an issue with onions, I substituted a couple pinches of Asafoetida Raw Herb.
Also substituted fresh broccoli as I didn’t have frozen peas and carrots.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Looking for recipes that art free of gluten, egg, dairy, sugar, corn and onions. Hard to find.
Nancy
We added corn to ours, so good!
Taylor
Loved this! So easy and so much better than the boxed kind!