The first time we made this we immediately fell in love with it! It’s such a great recipe for people that don’t like to cook. Lots of vegetables, lots of flavour, and lots of yummy leftovers for days afterwards! I like to have it with multigrain toast on the side, it makes me go mmm every time!
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
5 cups vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
4 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp oregano *
1/2 tsp paprika *
1/2 tsp cayenne *
1/2 tsp black pepper *
1/2 tsp seasoned salt *
* I like to be generous with these spices, adding a little bit extra of each
In a large bowl, mix tomato paste with vegetable broth until smooth and set aside.
In a large pot, sautée onion, garlic, celery and green pepper until slightly soft, or about 5 minutes. Add uncooked rice and allow it to toast for one minute, stirring. Add tomato and broth mixture. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.
In a separate skillet, sautée the mushrooms and zucchini until just barely cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
After the rice has cooked about 10 minutes, add the sautéed veggies, spices and diced tomatoes, stirring well. Cover, and allow to simmer 10-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are fully cooked and rice is soft. Serve with hot sauce if desired and enjoy!
