Spring rice pilaf with asparagus and peas
One-pot spring rice pilaf with asparagus and peas is a bright, fresh and easy side dish that’s topped with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and (optional) pine nuts!
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ cups brown rice
- 2 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- 1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut in ½-inch long pieces
- 1 cup peas, thawed, if frozen
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For serving:
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
- Add rice and stir to get it mixed with the onion and coated in the oils.
- Add vegetable broth, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add trimmed asparagus on top of the rice in the pot then cover and cook another 10 minutes.
- Uncover, add peas, then turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Stir peas and asparagus into the rice and season pilaf with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and basil.
Notes
You need to get slender asparagus for this. Those huge thick stalks won’t steam up quickly enough in the pot during the end of the rice cooking time. If all you can get are the big stalks, I’d suggest steaming or sautéing them separately, until tender, and adding them in at the end with the peas.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 299mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
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