Tomato Brown Rice Pilaf is a vegan Mediterranean recipe that is a perfect side dish next to chicken or seafood dishes - simple, satisfying and easy to make
This Tomato Rice Pilaf is a staple Mediterranean recipe that I make for my kids all the time. We enjoy it as a side dish and sometimes I even bulk it up with chicken or beef and make it as a mean meal.
A traditional grain like rice can wear so many hats, it can be the main dish, side dish, turned into a dessert, even pressed for milk. For dinner though, it’s definitely one of my favorite side dish heroes. I grew up eating this tomato rice pilaf and still love it!
More often than not, white rice undergoes a refining process that actually strips the grain of its inherent goodness. The manufacturers then “enrich” it with synthetic vitamins that don’t quite cut it.
Brown rice has a better nutritional profile, including selenium and manganese, and it doesn’t lost those nutrients before it hits your dinner plate, and that’s why I love using it when I make this tomato rice pilaf.
For this Mediterranean pilaf, I add basil, sauteed onions, and tomatoes — yum! It’s so simple you’re going to end up making it all the time.
For more rice and grain dishes, check out:
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Tomato Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion small diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 large tomatoes small diced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil, and sauté onions with salt and pepper until translucent.
- Add the tomato paste and the small diced tomatoes and mix until the tomatoes slightly start to break up.
- Mix in the brown rice and incorporate everything well together, then add 1 1/2 cup boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then cover the pot and simmer on low for 45 minutes until water is all absorbed and the rice is soft
- Serve as a side dish topped with fresh basil, if desired
