One Pot Brown Rice Dinner to Use What You Have

One pot brown rice is one of my favorite dinner meals that I can add pretty much anything to in order to use up what I have in the kitchen.

I find one pot rice to be a perfect meal for kids and toddlers. My boys love eating rice. I can put pretty much any vegetable, meat, or sauce with rice and they will eat it all up. This makes it a great meal for resourceful cooking, allowing me to get creative with the ingredients that I have and make an easy delicious dinner no matter what.

Choose-Your-Protein One Pot Rice

If you are looking to make a one pot rice with a specific protein or if you have a meat thawed out in your fridge and aren’t sure how to use it, this one pot brown recipe can suit your needs. You can easily switch out the protein to use what you have, or match the flavors you are looking for. Here’s a list of some ideas of proteins you could use:

• beef
  • ground
  • cubed
• chicken
  • precooked
  • diced
  • bone-in
• sausage
  • ground
  • precooked
• beans/lentils
  • canned beans
  • chickpeas
  • dry lentils

One Pot Rice Dinner Ideas

It’s nice to have recipes on hand that use what you have in the kitchen, rather than following recipes that require specific unique ingredients. This is one of my favorite dishes for those days when I need to put dinner on the table and I have ingredients but no ideas. I can simply start a pot of rice and throw in whichever protein and veggies I have on hand.

That being said, there are a couple specific ways I tend to make and flavor this meal. I often pair my vegetables around different cuisines.

Unstuffed Pepper One Pot Rice

Very similar to my stuffed pepper recipe, but with diced peppers in the rice rather than stuffing the rice in the peppers.

• bell peppers
• carrots
• summer squash
• sausage
• cheddar cheese

Lemon Pepper One Pot Rice

Classic lemon pepper flavor paired with complementary vegetables.

• onion
• carrot
• lemon juice and zest
• peas
• Parmesan cheese
• chickpeas, or chicken

Italian Chicken One Pot Rice

This recipe is a variation on one of my favorite dishes my mother used to make while I was growing up.

• chicken
• broccoli
• tomatoes
• Italian seasonings
• mozzarella cheese

“Green Slop”

Another variation of a childhood meal originally made with a box of Rice-A-Roni. I have now learned to make it with simple nutritious whole food ingredients.

• ground beef
• vermicelli (I make my own by breaking up spaghetti noodles)
• green beans, canned or fresh

In addition to these ideas, I am always coming up with additional variations of this dinner using whatever vegetables I have on hand. Don’t be scared of experimenting and trying to come up with a new favorite combination.

Ingredients for One Pot Brown Rice Dinner

• 2-3 cups brown rice
• 2 tbsp butter, oil, or meat fat
• 1 onion
• 4-6 cups broth
• 1-2 lbs protein of choice (see above for ideas)
• 2-4 cups vegetables of your choice
• seasonings
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2-3 tsp additional seasonings (garlic powder, basil, thyme, Italian seasonings etc.)
• toppings (optional)
  • cheese
  • fresh vegetables
    • tomato
    • avocado

How to Make One Pot Brown Rice Dinner Using What You Have

Begin by dicing your onion as well as any longer cooking vegetables you plan to include, for example carrots or celery.

Saute the diced vegetables in the butter or oil until the onion begins to color. If you are using raw diced or ground meat, add it now to give it some color, but no need to cook it through. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes, making sure to stir often to prevent burning.

Once everything has nice color, add the chicken broth (2 cups per cup of rice) and bring everything to a boil. If you are using lentils or a bone-in meat like chicken, add them into or on top of the the rice. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 40-45 minutes.

After the 40 minutes add your quicker cooking vegetables like broccoli or green beans as well as any precooked proteins such as beans or shredded chicken. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables and rice are cooked through.

If desired, mix in or top the rice with cheese and cover until the cheese is melted. Top with any remaining fresh vegetables and you are ready to serve!

One Pot Brown Rice Dinner

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 2-3 cups brown rice
• 2 tbsp butter oil, or meat fat
• 1 onion
• 4-6 cups broth
• 1-2 lbs protein of choice
• 2-4 cups vegetables of your choice

seasonings

• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2-3 tsp additional seasonings garlic powder, basil, thyme, Italian seasonings etc.

toppings (optional)

• cheese
• fresh vegetables such as tomato or avocado

Instructions

 

• Begin by dicing your onion as well as any longer cooking vegetables you plan to include, for example carrots or celery.
• Saute the diced vegetables in the butter or oil until the onion begins to color. If you are using raw diced or ground meat, add it now to give it some color, but no need to cook it through. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes, making sure to stir often to prevent burning.
• Once everything has nice color, add the chicken broth (2 cups per cup of rice) and bring everything to a boil. If you are using lentils or a bone-in meat like chicken, add them into or on top of the the rice. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 40-45 minutes.
• After the 40 minutes add your quicker cooking vegetables like broccoli or green beans as well as any precooked proteins such as beans or shredded chicken. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables and rice are cooked through.
• If desired, mix in or top the rice with cheese and cover until the cheese is melted. Top with any remaining fresh vegetables and you are ready to serve!

Keyword brown rice, one pot, vegetables