Easy Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
This easy mediterranean rice pilaf takes a simple box of pilaf and enhances the flavor and nutrition with additions like spinach, artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives making it the perfect side dish or base for a dinner bowl.
Do you struggle to get your vegetables in? Feeling like you’re one of those people who actually hates vegetables? If you want to start making it easier to eat more veggies, I highly recommend you start mixing them into your starchy side dish! Not only does this make it easier to get more color onto your plate, but it also helps remove the intimidation factor of eating over half a plate of vegetables.
This easy Mediterranean rice pilaf is loaded with fresh flavors and vegetables and is the perfect colorful side dish or base for a bowl. The best part? Aside from some chopping, there are no special cooking skills required for this flavor loaded rice since we take a simple box of Near East rice pilaf and enhance it with tasty additions.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
You’ll love this Mediterranean rice pilaf because it’s:
A one pot recipe: aside from a cutting board, you’ll just need one very large pot which makes for easy cooking and an even easier clean up.
Loaded with veggies: mixing vegetables into your starchy side is an easy way to get more vegetables on your plate without needing to eat a salad or more roasted veggies. You can certainly customize your vegetable additions as well.
Full of flavor: Mediterranean flavors really come through with ingredients like spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. Feel free to add in your own favorite veggies!
Easy to make: no special cooking skills required for this recipe, it’s really just a dressed up box of Near East rice pilaf! You can use any brand of rice pilaf you like but my favorite is Near East.
I love this recipe and I know you will too!
The process:
This mediterranean rice pilaf is a one pot recipe that only requires a few simple steps. Start by chopping all your vegges and flavors:
Then add to a large pot along with your boxed rice pilaf and seasoning packet.. I used Near East rice pilaf!
Add 2 cups of water, cover, and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes stirring often. Once your rice pilaf is finished cooking, top with your feta cheese and enjoy!
What to eat with Mediterranean Rice Pilaf:
This mediterranean rice pilaf would pair perfectly with:
Simply prepared proteins: salmon, chicken, ground turkey, and thinly sliced steak would all pair perfectly with this recipe. Let the rice pilaf be the flavors of the dish!
Greek salads: scoop some of this rice pilaf into a fresh greek salad as a source of carbohydrates and additional flavor.
Bowls: My favorite way to use this Mediterranean rice pilaf is as the base of a bowl. I then top the bowl with a protein to complete the meal!
Roasted chickpeas: add some crunch and plant-based protein with oven roasted chickpeas.
Ingredients:
This easy Mediterranean rice pilaf only needs a few ingredients including:
Box of rice pilaf- My favorite is Near East original rice pilaf but you can use any brand you like. We will be using the included seasoning packet and increasing the water amount we use!
Fresh spinach- you can use frozen or canned as well
Sun-dried tomatoes- I buy the canned chopped sun-dried tomatoes and drain the oil off.
Canned artichoke hearts- get adventurous and try a veggie you haven’t had before… like artichoke hearts! These will be found in the canned vegetables section of your grocery store.
Kalamata olives- these olives really enhance the Mediterranean flavors of this dish. I buy the pitted and chopped but you can buy the pitted and whole olives and chop them yourself.
Feta cheese- this will be sprinkled on top once your rice is done cooking.
Recipe FAQ:
How long will this rice pilaf stay good for in the fridge?
You can keep this rice in the fridge for three to five days making it perfect for meal prep!
What if I don’t like some of the ingredients?
This dish can certainly be modified. If you do not like sun dried tomatoes, add whole tomatoes instead. Swap the spinach for kale. Omit the olives. Add some finely diced zucchini or even some pepperocini peppers if you want. You can add in whatever flavors you like!
Is rice pilaf gluten free?
Rice itself is gluten free but many brands who offer a boxed rice pilaf cannot guarantee that their seasoning packet will be gluten free. Most boxed brands say they are gluten free and you would be safe to buy it but if you have a severe intolerance to gluten then I would recommend buying unseasoned orzo rice and adding in a tablespoon of tried Italian seasonings to keep it gluten free!
Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
Instructions
- Chop your spinach, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives.
- Add your box of rice pilaf, seasonings, water, and chopped ingredients to a large saucepan then add your 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over low/medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. Enjoy!
Nutrition information has been approximated.
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!