Carrot and Spinach Rice
Carrot and Spinach Rice Recipe: Did you ever not know what side dish to make? Or have you gotten tired of eating the same side dish with your main entree? I know I have. I am good at finding what protein I want to eat, but then I think…what am I going to eat with it? Should I have a vegetable? Or a vegetable and starch?
When I have these dilemmas, I usually settle for rice. Rice is my go-to side dish. It’s quick and easy, and I probably have some leftover rice in the fridge. This is how the Carrot and Spinach Rice recipe came into play…leftover rice and vegetables that I needed to get rid of.
One of the healthiest dishes
I like all types of rice, from jasmine to long grain to arborio to wild. But my favorite is basmati rice. Basmati Rice is a variety of long grain rice with its origin from India and Pakistan. Some people tend to soak basmati rice up to 30 minutes before cooking it to allow the grains to absorb water, to yield a better texture.
I have not soaked my basmati rice, and I did not taste much of a difference. Also, some people tend to rinse their rice. Rinsing the rice will yield less sticky rice. But I have to admit; I do not always rinse my rice. Basmati rice also has a different smell. Once the basmati rice is cooking, you can smell its unique aroma.
For this recipe, I like to start with using clarified butter instead of olive oil. Have you ever used clarified butter? Clarified butter is made by rendering the milk fat from the butter as the milk solids are separated from the butterfat. It has a higher smoke point than butter and gives a nice flavor to the rice. Clarified butter can be found in most grocery stores.
Cooking starts
To start, dice up some onions and add a couple of cloves of garlic to get started.
Once the onions have begun to soften, add the garlic to the pan. Then you add carrots and fresh spinach. I used some leftover pre-cut carrots. You can also shred a carrot if you like. Please make sure you use fresh spinach as it is always best and has more flavor. Next, add salt and pepper to season the veggies.
Next in is the rice. I prefer to use leftover cold rice. This is a great way to use leftover rice and eliminate waste. When I make rice, I usually make more than enough to throw it into quick recipes. Once the rice is heated up, check for seasoning. Depending on your taste level and how well you seasoned the plain rice, it may or may not need extra salt and pepper.
This rice is simple, healthy, and delicious. You can switch it up and add different veggies if you like. Just make sure it is colorful. It looks more appealing.
Try it, and let me know how well it came out. EAT and Enjoy!
Carrot and Spinach Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 4 cups of rice
Simple basmati rice with carrots and spinach.
Ingredients
- One tablespoon clarified butter
- One medium onion, diced
- Two garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups cold basmati rice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt clarified butter to a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook until soft.
- Next, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add carrots and spinach and cook until carrots are soft and spinach wilts.
- Add rice and salt, and pepper.
- Mix ingredients and cook until rice is warm.
With Carrot and Spinach Rice Recipe, for food preparation tasks, you can ultimately use Breville Food Processor to finish cutting, slicing, grinding, etc., everything easily and quickly. [1]
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