A simple recipe for vegan rice with tomatoes, zucchini, and carrots: healthy, quick, cheap, and so delicious!
You might have noticed that we love eating rice cooked this way.
Which is: one pot rice meals with lots of vegetables, sometimes a bit of meat or cheese, but not often, my rice dishes are mostly vegetarian (well, if you use vegetarian cheese when cheese is part of the recipe).
You will find quite a few similar rice recipes on my blog, dishes like this Romanian Vegan Vegetable Rice or Pilaf, the Creamy Pumpkin Gorgonzola Risotto or the Spicy One Pot Vegan Pilaf with Lentils and Mushrooms.
Recipe ingredients
- Tomatoes: Make sure you use really tasty ripe tomatoes. I had two huge, juicy, slightly overripe tomatoes, which I bought extra for the rice; I just knew they would be perfect for it. Ignore the tomatoes in the photographs; they were super tasty as well, but they are snack tomatoes, good to eat raw, and too expensive to cook if you ask me.
- If you cannot find really nice ripe tomatoes, then I recommend using one can of whole or chopped tomatoes; they are much tastier and more suitable for this kind of dish than unripe tomatoes from the greenhouse.
- Other vegetables: Otherwise, not much to say: some carrots and one small zucchini, green or yellow, if you happen to have it. If not, you could leave it out or replace it with one more carrot or a small bell pepper. Or try other vegetables you like and happen to have in your fridge or freezer.
- Rice: I made this rice dish using long-grain rice, but you could use brown rice as well; I did it many times. In that case, you should consider the cooking time; brown rice needs a bit more than 30 minutes. If using brown rice, chop the carrots and the zucchini into somewhat larger chunks so that they will not be too mushy in the end.
How to serve?
We eat this tomato rice mostly as a main dish with some Green (Unripe) Tomato Pickles or gherkins on the side. A salad with yogurt dressing would be a great side for the rice as well, or you could have the tomato rice as a side dish for fish like this oven-baked pike with vegetables or basic skillet chicken breast. Either way, it is delicious!
Do you like this recipe?
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Vegan Rice with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 thin carrots
- 1 small zucchini green or yellow
- 1 ½ cup long grain rice
- 2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes or a can of whole or chopped tomatoes
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon sugar optional, to taste
- fine sea salt and pepper
- some fresh thyme or parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Saute: Chop the onion and the garlic cloves finely. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the onions and the garlic until translucent.
- Chop: In the meantime, chop the carrots into rings. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and slice the quarters. Add the vegetables and the washed rice to the pot, stir well, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, dry thyme, and hot vegetable broth. Add the sugar if using, about ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt and some pepper.
- Simmer: Stir well, cover, and let come to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. I prefer the rice to be relatively soft when making such a dish. Check and let cook according to your taste.
- Stir a couple of times in between and add more vegetable broth or hot water if the rice becomes too dry. Most of the liquid should be absorbed, yet the dish should not be dry but nicely wet.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the fresh herbs and serve with pickles or salad.
Sarah B says
Exactly what Inwas looking for.. delicious and totally plant based.. thank you!!
Shellie says
What a great recipe. We absolutely loved it. It's so quick and easy to make. I did use diced canned tomatoes and their juice. I wish it didn't take me 5 years to find this recipe. 🙂
Adina says
That's nice of you to say. I am so happy you liked it!
Belkis says
Thank you for making being vegan tasty and easy.... Love it!!!
Adina says
Welcome Belkis. 🙂
Brie N. says
You had me at "healthy, quick, cheap!" This looks divine, Adina, filling and comforting but light - so perfect for this not-yet-fall weather we've been having. Your vegan "one pot" meals are always the best, the hubby loves your recipe for zucchini cashew curry, I'm sure this one will be a winner too!
Monica says
I love all sorts of rice dishes and this one looks spectacular. Love the colors, the flavors, and how easy it is.
Balvinder says
This dish is a combination of speed, ease, and taste, Adina! I love rice with vegetables so much and I am going to try this one.