Mixed Vegetable Rice

This mixed vegetable rice dish is comforting, flavorful, and a great way to use store-bought frozen veggie mixes. Seasoned with pantry staples, it's super economical and can be enjoyed as a meal or served as a side.

Don't get me wrong, vegetable fried rice has a nice plot of land in my heart, but you do need leftover rice for it, or rice that’s been cooled down.

I created this recipe for when I want to be weeknight-spontaneous and enjoy a one-pot pilaf-like dish that's so good I'd actually want to share with y'all.

I don't use any bouillon, not that I’m against it, in fact, I have a rice dish where it really shines. But in this recipe plain water works just fine. The sautéed veggies release good flavor and the seasonings do the heavy lifting.

The frozen vegetable mix I often use has carrots, peas, corn, and beans, but other chopped mixes will work too.

You don't need a rice cooker, the rice comes out really nice using my stove-top method. I don't like my rice al dente, so there's no bite, but it's not too soft either. If you like it cooked really tender, simply extend the steaming time, no need to change the rice-to-water ratio.

Pre-cooking notes

• All kinds of white rice, including Basmati, jasmine, and generic store-brand, work well. If you use parboiled rice, the timing changes. Soak for 1 hour in warm water, steam 15 minutes, then rest 15 minutes.
• You can use chicken or veggie broth instead of water (I don’t usually), but reduce the salt by a quarter of the total quantity.
• Yellow onion is ideal, but red works too.
• I’ve made this recipe with different frozen veggie mixes, and the ones with small pieces always work. Avoid any mixes with onion.

A visual guide for making my frozen mixed vegetable rice

Here are photos of the key steps to guide you through the recipe. For a printable version with quantities and notes, see the recipe card below.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan/pot over medium-high. Add onion and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, until edges start turning light golden.

Mix in frozen vegetables and cook 3 minutes. Add black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and garlic powder, stir 15 seconds.

Pour in 1.5 cups water. Also add salt and bay leaf. Cover with lid, bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Then add the drained rice and stir gently to mix.

Let liquid reduce over medium-high heat (or medium if your burner is strong). Don't stir yet, just keep an eye. At first, the bubbles on the surface will be big and vigorous. As the liquid cooks down further, you'll start to see small bubbles and steam holes across the surface. That’s your cue to give a brief, gentle stir. Some liquid (around 10 to 20 percent) will still be left, which is intended.

Cover completely with lid right away, and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it steam 10 minutes. DO NOT remove the lid. No peeking, no stirring.

Turn off the heat. DO NOT remove the lid yet and leave the pot on the same burner. Let the rice rest for 10 minutes, so it finishes cooking in residual heat.

After the resting time, remove the lid, plate the rice using a flat, wide utensil like a rice paddle and enjoy!

Serving ideas

I often serve fried egg on top of this rice, sooo good! Scrambled works too. You can mix in leftover rotisserie chicken, although I don’t use cooked chicken that’s more than a day old, just tastes funny (anyone else can relate?). My jalapeño chicken, honey sriracha shrimp, haddock, and chimichurri shrimp all go really well with this rice.