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A white bowl of brown rice mixed with sautéed spinach and grated fresh Parmesan.
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4.20 from 75 votes

Brown rice with spinach and Parmesan cheese

 Brown rice with spinach and Parmesan cheese is an easy, healthy, one-pot side dish with just a few simple ingredients!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ¼ cups quick cook brown rice, see notes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 8 oz. bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  • Add onion and sauté 5-6 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
  • Add quick cook rice, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to get the rice coated in the oils.
  • Add chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Then cover, lower the heat to medium low and cook 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
  • Add chopped fresh spinach on top of the rice, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes off the heat.
  • Stir spinach into the rice and add Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Notes

The ALDI SimplyNature quick cook brown rice that I use takes 15-20 minutes to cook. If you are substituting another kind, you may need to adjust the cooking time. Regular long-grain brown rice will need to simmer for 30-35 minutes.
You can use chicken or vegetable broth, whatever you have, but do try to use low-sodium so you can control the amount of salt.
I managed to cram all of the spinach into my pot but if you don’t have room, you can either do it in batches (waiting for the first batch to wilt down before adding more) or just put in as much as you can fit.
I like to serve this with extra Parmesan shaved on right at the table.

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 309mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g
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