Rice Pilaf with Vegetables

Rice pilaf is so easy to make! Add vegetables and a delicious turmeric sauce, and you have a quick one-pot meal in under 20 minutes! Rice pilaf with vegetables is a great weeknight meal or meal prep lunch for the whole week.

I love rice, and rice pilaf is one of my favorite side dishes. But today, I made rice pilaf with vegetables for an entree instead of a side dish. Then, I added a creamy turmeric sauce with incredible flavor.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make the Recipe
• Sauce Ingredients
• Sauce Substitutions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Other Great Weeknight Meals
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Although rice pilaf generally requires butter or oil to brown it before adding fluids to the pan, it is easy to make rice pilaf without any added fat. Like other one-pot meals, waking a recipe in one pot is all about cooking in layers, so all the ingredients are perfectly cooked.

Ingredients

• Yellow Onion: Yellow onion flavor is strong but mild, with an onion flavor that isn't overpowering. They often have a bit of sweetness, caramelize nicely, and hold up well when cooked.
• Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Brown Rice: Brown rice is generally more nutritious than white rice. It's higher in fiber, magnesium, and other nutrients and isn't artificially enriched with nutrients like white rice.
• Green Beans: Green beans are in season and plentiful. Green beans are very inexpensive because they are seasonal.
• Grape Tomatoes: I like using different colored grape tomatoes for vibrant color. Grape tomatoes have a thicker skin and cook well in a one-pot meal because they have fewer seeds than other tomatoes.
• Carrots: I used shredded carrots because of their texture, making them easy to eat with rice and other ingredients.
• Sweet Paprika: Sweet paprika, as the name suggests, has a noticeably sweeter, slightly fruity flavor, with a hint of pepperiness.
• Chili Powder: Chili powder is a red-colored mix of spices that contain one or more varieties of red chili peppers and herbs such as garlic, cumin, and oregano. 
• Turmeric: Turmeric has an earthy bitterness, adding depth to the flavor profile. Due to its bitterness, it is usually combined with other sweeter spices to help balance it out. The turmeric spice comes from a root that looks somewhat similar to ginger.
• Cumin: Cumin has a powerful smell and taste. You will find that this spice is earthy and warm, rich and hearty, and has a bittersweet taste. 
• Salt: A little salt added to recipes enhances the flavor of the other ingredients in the recipe.
• Pepper: Did you know that black pepper contains a compound called piperine that helps to increase the rate at which the body absorbs turmeric?
• Corriander: Coriander has a fresh citrus taste with a strong aroma, while the haters say it has a soapy taste and a pungent smell.
• Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper powder is about eight times hotter than chili powder. So, a pinch is all you need.
• Water: Water is necessary to cook the rice and vegetables together.
• Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the meat of this dish and taste fabulous with the other ingredients and turmeric dressing.
• Cilantro: I added cilantro as a garnish to the top of the dish for color and flavor.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose red onion, shallots, or white onions if you don't have yellow onion.
• Any rice works well for rice pilaf. However, long grain white rice is typically used in rice pilaf.
• Choose any vegetables to add to rice pilaf with vegetables. However, ensure you add the dense vegetables last to ensure you don't overcook the vegetables.
• Try smoked paprika for a smokier taste.
• If you are sensitive to spice, skip the cayenne or add a small amount; taste and add more to reach your preference.
• White beans are generally used as a substitute for chickpeas.

How to Make the Recipe

As stated before, when making a one-pot meal, it's essential to cook in stages or layers to avoid overcooking or undercooking the ingredients.

• For that reason, begin sauteing the onions until translucent.
• Add the mushrooms, and cook until brown. The mushrooms release a lot of moisture with the onions.
• Then, add the uncooked brown rice. The moisture from the onions and mushrooms helps brown the rice without using oil or butter.
• Stir the rice, allow it to be brown, and stir it again.
• When it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 2 Tablespoons of water.
• Add the uncooked rice and sauté, constantly stirring, for about a minute or until the rice is brown.
• Now add all the vegetables and seasonings.
• Stir to combine, and then add the water.
• Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the temperature to simmer.

While the rice pilaf cooks, make the turmeric dressing.

• In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the chickpeas.

Sauce Ingredients

• Raw Cashews: Raw cashews give the sauce a creaminess.
• Water: The water acts as an emulsifier and thins the sauce.
• Turmeric: Turmeric has an earthy bitterness, adding depth to the flavor profile. Due to its bitterness, it is usually combined with other sweeter spices to help balance it out. The turmeric spice comes from a root that looks somewhat similar to ginger.
• Cumin: Cumin has a warm earthy taste.
• Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice whenever possible.
• Garlic Cloves: Garlic blended into the dressing provides a rich warmth of flavor.
• Cayenne Pepper: A pinch of cayenne pepper gives the dressing a little heat.
• Sea Salt: A little sea salt enhances the flavors in the sauce.

Sauce Substitutions

• For a nut-free option, choose sunflower seeds. Or, try using silken tofu or white beans and decrease the water by ½ in the recipe.
• A common pantry ingredient, sweet, hot, or smoked paprika, will work as an alternative for turmeric.
• Other options as a cumin substitute include caraway seed, fennel seed, coriander seed, anise seed, turmeric powder, and chipotle powder.
• Use bottled lemon juice when fresh lemon juice isn't available.
• If sensitive to spice, skip the cayenne pepper.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Using the natural moisture in vegetables helps to brown the rice without using oil or butter.
• For more flavorful rice, use vegetable broth instead of water.
• Soak the cashews or sunflower seeds overnight to make blending easier.
• Use white beans of silken tofu in the sauce for a nut-free option.
• The sauce is better at room temperature since the rice pilaf with vegetables is served hot.
• If you love rice, try pineapple fried rice, vegetable fried rice, or wild rice salad.

Try rice pilaf with vegetables as a quick and easy weeknight meal. You will love the turmeric sauce!

Other Great Weeknight Meals

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