Spanish Rice and Vegetables

Spanish Rice and Vegetables

3.9 of 5 (39)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 4
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 219.4
  • Total Fat: 5.0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 140.5 mg
  • Total Carbs: 38.0 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 7.4 g
  • Protein: 7.2 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Spanish Rice and Vegetables calories by ingredient


Introduction

A budget version of the rustic Spanish favorite. An herbed-citrus olive pesto adds color and intensifies the flavor.
A budget version of the rustic Spanish favorite. An herbed-citrus olive pesto adds color and intensifies the flavor.

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 yellow onion, sliced into strips
    2 bell peppers, sliced
    1 small bulb fennel, core removed and sliced
    3 garlic cloves, sliced
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    1 pinch cayenne pepper
    1 large bay leaf
    1 cup no salt added diced tomatoes
    1 cup brown rice
    1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    2 1/2 cups boiling water
    1 cup canned or frozen lima beans, drained and rinsed

    Pesto:
    1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
    8 Kalamata olives, pitted
    1 clove garlic
    1 lemon zested and juiced

Tips

Make this a quick cook recipe: Use heat-and-eat brown rice, reduce hot water to 1/2 cup, and cook for 5 minutes before adding the lima beans.

When prepping fennel, only use the white bulb. Discard the green stalks. If you can't find it, you can add extra peppers and onions.


Directions

Place a large saute pan over medium heat, then add the oil. Add the onions and peppers when the oil is hot and cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the fennel and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add all the spices and the bay leaf, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stir to combine, then add the vinegar and scrape the bottom to pull up any caramelized bits.
Add the rice to pan, stir and cook for one minute. Slowly add the boiling water to the pan, stirring to combine.
Raise the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pesto, either in a food processor or by chopping all the ingredients together.
After 35 minutes, stir in the lima beans, cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the pesto and serve immediately.






Serving Size: Makes 8 cups, 2 cups per serving

Photo credit: PhotoKitchen.net


Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Good
    12 of 12 people found this review helpful
    This was pretty good until I added the pesto--then the lemon overwhelmed everything. If I make it again, I'll use half the lemon or even less. - 6/23/12


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    Incredible!
    9 of 16 people found this review helpful
    Chef Meg comments you can add shrimp or chicken - 6/9/12


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    Very Good
    5 of 9 people found this review helpful
    AWESOME! Always looking 4 a way to get more flavor in my vegetables! If you really want to cut the carbs and up the protein make it a one meal dish add EITHER shrimp or
    leftover chicken and make it a 1 1/2 cup serving (before the protein addition) Try this with a lowfat jarred pesto 2 save time. 4*
    - 9/10/12


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    Good
    3 of 4 people found this review helpful
    For some reason, this recipe just didn't do it for me. It was a vegetable Paella, but I missed having a meat or fish in it. - 6/8/13


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    Very Good
    2 of 8 people found this review helpful
    My mothers family came from Madrid and she would make authentic gourmet paella, she would show me how she roasted the saffron. The seafood shrimp, mussels and scallops crested a "dish to die for!" I cant wait to try this paella recipe....so much less fat and dubstitute veggies for the rich seafood. - 11/5/12


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    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
    love best ever ate . thank you for this verision of an old favorite . - 8/1/12


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    Good
    2 of 7 people found this review helpful
    I liked this-- - 6/8/12


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    Good
    1 of 8 people found this review helpful
    Sounds like a tasty meat-free alternative to paella... - 8/11/12


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    Very Good
    1 of 5 people found this review helpful
    Low Calorie with lots of flavor added. Thanks for the good ideas Chef Meg! - 6/5/12


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    Yum - 7/11/21


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    Very Good
    Ok - 7/3/21


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    Add shrimp and it is awesome. - 6/5/21


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    This was enjoyable but not a recipe I will be using again - 4/18/21


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    Nice recipe - 1/26/21


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    I did not do this well maybe because I left out fennel - 11/25/20


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    A great recipe but used half the lemon called for in it! - 11/14/20


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    Very Good
    yum - 11/14/20


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    Sounds interesting. I may try it. - 10/28/20


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    Very Good
    tasty - 10/13/20


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    I'm going to have to try it the way Lisareads says to prepare it - 9/20/20


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    fantastic - 8/25/20


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    Very Good
    Really good. Especially with the pesto! - 8/17/20


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    Very Good
    didn't add lima beans as they are not my fave. Used green beans and added 1 can tomatoes. Very good. - 8/17/20


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    Excellent, I really like Spanish rice. - 8/17/20


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    Very Good
    No lima beans but the rest is great - 7/7/20


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    Like this recipe. I would use less lemon, too. Max 1/2 lemon. That gives enough of a tang. - 3/11/20


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    sounds great - 1/3/20


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    I've made Spanish rice but not this recipe. It looks good and easy! - 1/1/20


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    O.K.
    The taste just didn't do it for me. - 12/18/19


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    This surely looks good - 8/22/19


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    Bad
    Not tasty at all, not worth all the cutting and measuring. Much ado about nothing. - 8/1/19


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    excellent - 7/26/19


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    Incredible!
    Delicious - 7/25/19


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    Good
    Great - 7/23/19


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    Not bad, thanks. - 7/5/19


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    Good - 6/8/19


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    Incredible!
    yum - 6/5/19


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    Incredible!
    Great recipe. My family liked this one a lot. - 6/5/19


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    Very Good
    Delicious - 3/6/19


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    Incredible!
    we like Spanish rice and added veggies were good idea - 12/20/18


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    Good
    good - 11/30/18


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    Yum! - 11/29/18


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    wonderful - 11/19/18


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    Delicious - 11/19/18


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    yummy.... - 11/12/18


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    That pesto sounds incredible! - 11/12/18


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    Incredible!
    YUMMY - 9/2/18


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    Wow, this was delicious!!! - 8/23/18


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    yummy - 8/20/18


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    Incredible!
    Family favorite! - 8/14/18


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    We love this and I make it with a little left over veggies at times - 7/8/18


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    Thanks for sharing this recipe, I did spanish rice already a little different. - 7/7/18


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    Very Good
    Yum - 7/7/18


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    Not something I would make again. I did not care for the flavour. - 7/7/18


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    Very Good
    good left out the pesto - 7/7/18


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    Very Good
    To lower the carbs, I use cauliflower rice. - 1/7/18


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    Incredible!
    Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky. - Anais Nin ~ 1/7/18 - 1/7/18


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    Good
    Something not right with it. - 1/6/18


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    looks good as a side - 11/17/17


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    interesting - 11/11/17


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    Looks good! - 10/2/17


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    Looks yummy - 9/22/17


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    delicious - 9/20/17


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    Good
    Like it! - 9/8/17


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    I am so making this, it looks good and healthy. - 9/6/17


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    nice - 8/22/17


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    Too much work for any time but the weekend. - 8/19/17


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    Incredible!
    I made it with chicken to make a one dish dinner and it was great! - 8/6/17


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    I would need to sub out the peppers. Unless they are really cooked-limp cooked-I have problems. - 7/9/17


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    Didn't care for this. - 7/3/17


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    Thanks for sharing - 7/3/17


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    Incredible!
    I made this omitting the pesto and lima beans, and it turned out awesome. - 2/28/17


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    Very Good
    Love Spanish Rice. - 2/27/17


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    Great - 2/27/17


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    yum-o - 11/14/14


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    0 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Thank you for NOT calling this paella. :) - 7/24/13


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    Very Good
    0 of 3 people found this review helpful
    I love the fact that the meal is colesterol free.It do not need any other dishes to accompany it.I would think of trying it with tuna some time and omit the beans some time. - 7/24/13

    Reply from CHEF_MEG (8/7/13)
    Great ideas.
    Chef Meg



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    0 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Like it. - 6/8/13


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    Very Good
    0 of 3 people found this review helpful
    excellent - 3/1/13