Easy Rice and Veg Bake
Ingredients
Rice and Base:
- 2 cups basmati rice (Jasmine or quick cook brown rice work too)
- 1 can chickpeas with liquid
- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
Broth Ingredients:
- 3 cups water
- 1 leek, sliced and washed
- ½ fresh corn from 2 cobs, save cobs
- 4 celery sticks, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- Veg Bouillon, to taste
- Olive oil (optional)
Veg Toppers:
- 1 red onion, cut into sections
- 2 medium courgette/summer squash, zucchini
- 200g green beans, diced
- 2 TBS vegan butter (optional)
- 2 red peppers, roasted
Smashed Seasonings:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon white pepper corns
- 2 dried chilies
- Lemon zest (from one lemon)
Instructions
Make the Broth:
- In a medium stock pot, add a little bit of olive oil (optional) and a pinch of salt.
- Add corn cobs, leeks, celery, onion, and carrots. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Add 3 cups of water and vegan bouillon to taste (about 1-1.5 tablespoons).
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
- Strain the broth into a bowl, reserving both the broth and the cooked vegetables. Let cool slightly.
Prepare the Veg Toppers:
- Cut the red onion into sections.
- Cut the squash/zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice.
- Dice the green beans.
- Roast red peppers if using; otherwise, use pre-roasted peppers.
Toast and Smash Seasonings:
- Toast the garlic cloves (with skin on), fennel seeds, coriander seeds, white peppercorns, and dried chilies in a dry pan until fragrant.
- Smash or grind the toasted spices. Remove chilies and crush separately if desired.
- Add lemon zest to the smashed spices.
Prepare the Rice:
- Rinse 2 cups of rice until the water runs clear.
Assemble and Bake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (185°C).
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot.
- Add tomato paste and stir to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Add the rinsed rice, chickpeas (with liquid), and reserved cooked broth vegetables.
- Stir in the smashed seasonings.
- Arrange the red onion, squash/zucchini, green beans, and roasted red peppers on top of the rice mixture. Get creative with the arrangement.
- Add lemon juice from the zested lemon
- Pour the broth over the rice mixture until the liquid level is just below the top of the rice.
- Season with black pepper.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the vegetables on top and finish cooking the rice.
Serve:
- Let cool slightly before serving.
- Garnish with vegan parmesan (optional).
Video Description
EASY RICE BAKE RECIPE guidelines
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Super delicious and a stunning crowd pleaser. Great for family style meals, big batch meal prep our hungry crowds.
What is important in this recipe is the ratio of rice to liquid, covering and oven heating.
Ideally the ratio is 2 cups rice with a total of 4 cups liquid. Remember that. Getting all the mise en place ready for assembling before oven part makes it super simple.
You could easily sub pre-cut frozen veg and store bought veg broth for quick and easy.
Add whatever veg you like – be mindful of timing each veg might take to cook. This can easily be done WFPB SOS if desired.
Yes, you can freeze for leftovers later. Adjust as desired just make sure to account for the rice to liquid ratio and take into account the veg added.
If you want more protein add tofu, tempeh, seitan or more beans, lentils, nutritional yeast etc.
You got this!
EASY RICE AND VEG BAKE:
Oven temp 350f / 185 f
2 cups basmati rice (Jasmine works too or quick cook brown rice)
1 can chickpeas with liquid
Broth and Veg:
3 cups water
1 leek, sliced and washed
½ fresh corn from 2 cobs, save cobs
4 celery sticks, diced
1 onion, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
Veg Bouillon, to taste
Olive oil (optional)
2 tablespoons Tomato paste – for frying before adding veg
Veg toppers:
1 red onion, cut into sections
2 medium courgette/summer squash, zucchini
200g green beans, handful, diced
2 TBS vegan butter (optional)
2 red peppers, roasted
Smashed seasonings: toasted
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon white pepper corns
2 dried chilies
Toast, smash and add.
Use powdered seasonings and skip the toasting if you don’t have whole, it’ll still be good.
Make the broth, strain, save the veg, save the broth and let cool.
Cut and prep all the veg toppers (optional) if you don’t prep them as in the video cut them smaller and add to dish before adding to the oven. Or use frozen veg
Play with ingredients, make it your own and enjoy!