This One-Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice is our go to favourite mid-week dinner. 30 minutes & one pot is all that is standing between you & a big bowl full of deliciously spiced, flavourful rice studded with sweet, soft veggies.
I have been making this One-Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice for years and years and it is one of our favourite mid week, quick and easy dinners.
I can’t remember where the original recipe from, but I know that it involved chicken and seafood and was kind of a Spanish paella type dish.
Of course, the ingredients I use have changed over the years and it has evolved into a cruelty free, spicy veggie rice which gets made very frequently.
HOW TO MAKE SPICY VEGETABLE RICE
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Step 1
Prep and chop the veggies
Step 2
Sauté them in a large pan
Step 3
Add the rice, spices, seasonings and water
Step 4
Stir well then simmer until the rice is tender
That’s all there is to it. It’s such an easy, straightforward meal.
Smoked paprika and turmeric are two of my favourite spices and they marry together beautifully in this very flavourful dish. The colours are lovely too with the rich mustardy yellow and the reds, greens and yellows from the veggies.
The bell peppers become super sweet and the grape tomatoes give bursts of flavour in each bite. We love it served with some spicy Field Roast Sausage!
COMPLETELY CUSTOMIZABLE
Bell peppers, onions and garlic are essential to the flavour in this recipe but the other vegetables are pretty flexible. Replace them with whatever you have in your fridge or customize to suit your tastes. As long as you use roughly the same quantities all will be good. Even frozen veg works well.
It’s also amazing with my Fiery Habanero Hot Sauce. drizzled all over.
I’M LOVING THIS SPICY VEGETABLE RICE BECAUSE IT’S:
- easy
- made in one pot… hello?…hardly any washing up! 💃
- simple and uncomplicated
- full of flavour
- really easy to make it un-spicy so kids can enjoy it too
- perfect as a meal or a side
- leftovers reheat really well
HOW TO MAKE SPICY VEGETABLE RICE UN-SPICY 😂
If you have young children or someone who doesn’t like spicy food you can easily omit the chili from this recipe to make it ‘un-spicy’ rice. I do it all the time when we have guests who are a little sensitive to heat.
If you do omit the chili, to keep those that want some heat happy, just put a bottle of great hot sauce on the table so that they can add it to their individual bowls once it’s served.
LEFTOVERS
If you end up with any leftovers they reheat really well in the microwave. It keeps well in the fridge for a day or two and is perfect to reheat at mealtimes when time is at a premium. When reheating I add a few drops of water to stop the rice drying out.
Try repurposing it into burritos. One of our favourite ways to use the leftovers!
If you love easy, healthy and veggie packed rice dishes be sure to check out my Oven Baked Garlic Mushroom Rice. It is so good and super simple to make!
DID YOU MAKE THIS ONE-POT SPICY VEGETABLE RICE?
If you did, be a ☆ and let me know what you think by rating it and commenting below. Tag me on Instagram too. I am @avirtualvegan and my hashtag is #avirtualvegan
One-Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- 1 medium onion , chopped finely
- 3 medium carrots , chopped into small pieces
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 2 large bell peppers , cut into large chunks, (red, yellow or orange are best in this)
- 150g | 1 cup frozen peas (or chopped green beans)
- 150g | 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes , or chili flakes, or a small fresh or dried chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (you can sub this for chipotle powder)
- 250g | 1 ¼ uncooked rice , white or brown
- 600mls | 2½ cups water , plus more if needed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat.
- Saute the onions until translucent. If you do not wish to use oil then use can dry fry them or use a drop of water instead.
- Add the carrots, garlic and bell peppers and continue cooking for a few minutes.
- Add the rice, tomatoes, peas, spices, seasoning and water.
Cook until the liquid starts to bubble, give it a real good stir, turn down low, cover with a lid and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. If it gets to the stage where the water is absorbed and the rice isn't quite tender, you can boil a kettle and add another ¼ cup or so of water to finish it off.
- Serve immediately.
Pammy Poo says
This was one of the best rice recipes I’ve ever made. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Leanne says
Could I make this in hw slow cooker?
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried to cook it in a slow cooker and unfortunately can’t try it as I don’t have one anymore. I do cook it in my Instant Pot regularly though. I am pretty sure it would be fine. I just had a quick look online at rice cooked in slow cooker and it looks like it would maybe take about 2 – 3 hours on low. As I haven’t tried it myself though I can’t say for sure so maybe the first time you try it, make sure you are around to keep an eye on it. Hope that helps!
Melissa says
When you cook it in your instant pot do you include the veggies? Or only cook the rice? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven’t actually tested this in an Instant Pot but I do have a similar Instant Pot recipe and in that I saute the bell peppers, onions, carrots and garlic in the IP, then cook them with the rice. Then when it’s done I add the peas, give it a stir and just let the residual heat warm them through. The tomatoes, I guess it depends how well cooked you want them. I’d be tempted to try them in there at the beginning so you get the lovely tomato-ey flavour in the rice. You could end them at the end too though if you only want them lightly cooked. You might also need to decrease the amount of water a little too in the IP.
Edith says
Daughter and I recently transitioned, thank you for so an easy meal. She really liked.
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s awesome. So glad you both enjoyed it!
AV says
I made this dish to take for my lunches. It’s a nice one-pot meal with plenty of vegetables.
Irina says
If I was to replace the carrots with sweet potatoes, would you recommend anything to change it? I dont have carrots but have sweet potatoes 🙂 Also made this a few weeks ago and it was AWESOME
A Virtual Vegan says
I think sweet potatoes would be great in it instead of carrots. They take about the same time to cook so no need to change anything there. The beauty of this recipe is it’s so flexible. You can swap any of the veggies that you don’t have for those that you do. It’s great for clearing out the fridge! So glad you enjoyed it last time you made it!
Hannah says
Great recipe, really tasty rice and nice and spicy just how I like it!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it Hannah!
Tracey Wells says
This sounds delicious. I am trying to find a recipe i can use to make vegetarian sausage rolls . Do you think this would work in the puff pastry.
Thankyou
A Virtual Vegan says
I think it would probably be a bit loose and fall apart a bit when you were eating it. My vegan meatloaf recipe would be perfect for inside sausage rolls though, in fact I might have to try that myself! https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-meatloaf-with-gravy/
Tracey Wells says
Thankyou. I’ll have a look at that.