A flavorful, aromatic, rice dish packed with yummy veggies and spices, perfect for a meal or as an addition to your meal!
Rice. It’s such a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed plain or flavored to your favorite preference! There’s so much you can add to rice to make it a full meal, but it also works great as a side dish! I know many South Asians include rice as a staple part of their diet, and while I also enjoy a good rice dish, we don’t cook much of it at home, unless I’m making khichdi or rice with Thai curry. This is mainly because my husband isn’t a huge rice eater, and I am always so lazy to make it. But it’s actually really not that difficult to make, I don’t know why it scared me for so long! I was craving a hearty rice dish, but I was tired of having it with Indian food, and I wasn’t really feeling Thai curry. Thus, my One Pot Veggie Cajun Rice was born! It’s flavor packed from the Cajun spice and loaded with a ton of veggies to make it hearty and filling as a main meal, but also can be great served on the side of some blackened chicken or tofu, or any protein really! It is SO easy to make and comes together in just about 30 minutes, making it ideal for a weeknight meal or any time you’re in a time crunch; not to mention, it’s a one pot meal! It has big flavor and is super versatile because you can really add any veggies you want to this dish! It’s also a great change of flavor and pace if you’re looking for something different!
Here’s a few tips to help ensure ultimate tasty success with this recipe:
- I used short grain rice for this recipe, but regular long grain rice is perfectly fine too!
- You can replace with brown rice, but cooking time will vary
- This is a veggie packed dish, so feel free to add any veggies you may have and want to use up
- I used the McCormick Cajun seasoning for this recipe
- If you want to get really crazy, you can add 1/2 tsp liquid smoke for a nice added smokey flavor or 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me if you make this recipe! I love seeing all your guys’ creations and variations! I hope you all will give this a try and enjoy it as much as we did! As always, happy eating, friends!
One Pot Veggie Cajun Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 minced serrano pepper
- 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced zucchini
- 1/2 cup diced mushroom
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 cup rice rinsed well
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- chopped cilantro for garnish
- chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat unsalted butter until melted and then add bay leaf, garlic, diced onion and serrano pepper and cook for a minute
- Next add in the peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes until slightly softened, followed by the frozen corn
- Then, add in tomato paste and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, add in the rinsed rice and mix until all the rice is covered in the seasonings and tomato paste and veggies are mixed throughout
- Add in the vegetable broth and water, and lightly mix. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-16 minutes, or until all the liquid is soaked up
- After 15 minutes, remove cover and fluff rice with a fork. It should be perfectly cooked at this point! Garnish with cilantro and scallions and serve hot!
Notes
- I used short grain rice for this recipe, but regular long grain rice is perfectly fine too!
- You can replace with brown rice, but cooking time will vary
- This is a veggie packed dish, so feel free to add any veggies you may have and want to use up
- I used the McCormick Cajun seasoning for this recipe
