Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
- ½ cup (170 g) white rice
- ½ cup (170 g) orzo pasta
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons butter (optional; skip if you are allergic to animal products)
- 3 oz (85 g) peas (frozen or fresh; a pinch of brown sugar and vinegar in case you are using fresh peas)
- 1 medium onion (julienned or finely chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (grated or diced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (vegan & nut-free option in cooking instructions)
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan (use nutritional yeast in case of dairy allergy)
- Sliced green onion for garnish
Cooking Instructions
How to make homemade Rice a Roni step-by-step:
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and orzo, and stir to coat well. Cook while stirring often, until the orzo turns golden brown, and the rice turns translucent (for about 4-5 minutes).
- Pour the broth in, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover. Cook the rice covered (for 10–15 minutes) or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Meanwhile, boil 1 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add a pinch of sugar and vinegar (these ingredients help in adding back the lost color and sweetness during boiling process). Add fresh peas and bring the heat to simmer for about 7-8 minutes. If you are using carrots diced or chopped instead of grated, add carrots, too. Switch the heat off and cover it for another 7-8 minutes until the peas are cooked well in carry-over heat. Skip this step if you are using frozen peas in the recipe.
- Grate carrots (if grating), celery, onion (julien or chop) cheddar (skip if you are allergic to animal products) and thyme while the peas (and carrots) and rice are cooking.
- Now, remove the rice from the heat and add the butter (skip it if you are allergic to dairy butter), peas, carrot, celery, cheddar, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir until well incorporated. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes to help all the flavors gel well. (if you are allergic to dairy, feel free to skip cheddar cheese and use cashew curry by smoothly pureeing ‘soaked and then boiled’ softened cashews in a blender. If allergic to nuts, add half a cup of thick plant-based milk, like almond, oat, or coconut per your preference. This ingredient is a must for the creaminess.)
- Top with Parmesan (or nutritional yeast for non-dairy version) and green onions. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 325 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Fat: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
- Sodium: 665 mg
- Potassium: 275 mg
- Vitamin A: 3320 IU
- Vitamin C: 13 mg
- Calcium: 163 mg
- Iron: 1 mg
