Mediterranean Rice Recipe With Vegetables (Baked)
This one-pot Mediterranean rice recipe – packed with vegetables, tangy feta cheese, lemon zest, briny olives, and fresh parsley – captures the essence of Mediterranean flavors.
You’re cooking two sides (rice and veggies) simultaneously in a single casserole dish. Very convenient and a big step up from plain rice!
What to expect
Expect a tender fluffy rice dish packed with vegetables and big Mediterranean flavors like olives, feta and lemon.
This next level delicious side dish can be easily doubled or tripled and made ahead of time. Cooking time will be the same. Add a protein and dinner is done.
The recipe takes just over an hour to prepare, but it’s mostly hands-off except for chopping the vegetables.
Make it your own with a few good variations.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Rice: Basmati rice is my go-to for this dish as it has a slightly nutty flavor. Any other long-grain white rice such as jasmine rice or American Long Grain rice will work.
Vegetables: I like to use typical Mediterranean vegetables in this dish – zucchini, onions, red peppers, and tomatoes. Mushrooms, eggplant, cauliflower, and green beans are other good choices.
Broth: Use vegetable broth, vegetable stock, chicken broth, chicken stock or water. If using water, you will want to add a bit more seasoning such as basil, thyme, Italian seasoning, fresh herbs, etc.
Add-ins: For Mediterranean-inspired flavors, I add lemon zest, feta, pitted black or green olives and lots of chopped parsley. Leave out what you don’t like.
Variations
- add fresh herbs like thyme, basil, dill or oregano.
- substitute the olives with capers or sun-dried tomatoes.
- add red pepper flakes for heat
- garnish with toasted pine nuts
- to make yellow Mediterranean rice, add a pinch of turmeric powder and/or cumin.
- add some raisins with the rice and broth before baking the rice dish.
- add a protein for a more complete meal – grilled chicken, fish, tofu or meat once the Mediterranean rice is cooked.
Step-by-step instructions
Tip
If you prefer your diced vegetables to be more caramelized or golden brown, bake them on a pan lined with parchment paper to spread them out more. Then transfer to a casserole dish and continue the recipe.
Shortcut
- Buy pre-cut vegetables for roasting.
- Sauté vegetables in a skillet instead of roasting them to save 20 minutes.
Make Ahead
Store leftover rice in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat, covered, in the microwave for a couple of minutes or in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. The rice can also be frozen, but the vegetables may get quite soft.
What to serve with Mediterranean rice
Since the rice is loaded with vegetables, it can be served as a main meal, perhaps with a ratatouille soup or a fig salad.
It also makes a great side dish for glazed pork tenderloin, sous vide Korean-style chicken wings, balsamic glazed chicken, peri peri chicken, hot honey chicken wings and Canadian maple cedar plank salmon.
Or, top the rice dish with a protein for a Mediterranean rice bowl with grilled Mediterranean chicken, marinated flank steak, herbed salmon or tofu.
Recipe FAQ
You can use brown rice in this Mediterranean rice recipe instead of white rice, but you will have to adjust the liquid and baking time. Add an extra 1/4 cup/59 ml broth and bake the rice dish for an extra 15 minutes (total of 45 minutes).
More savory rice recipes
- curried rice with raisins
- Chinese vegetable fried rice
- shrimp and chicken fried rice (Thai-style)
- coconut Jasmine rice with chili crisps
- Instant pot veggie rice
- pumpkin Risotto Recipe (Instant Pot)
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Mediterranean Rice Recipe With Vegetables (Baked)
Ingredients
Vegetables for roasting
- 3 cups vegetables, diced, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
Rice
- 1/2 cup basmati rice, Note 2 (or other long grain rice)
- 1 cup broth or water, Note 3 (I add about 2 more tablespoons)
Finishing add-ins (use what you like)
- 8 pitted olives, black or green, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (from a small lemon)
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN to 425F/218C. Spray an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) with oil. If doubling recipe, use a 10 x 10 inch (25 x 25 cm) casserole dish e.g. pyrex or corning ware. The cooking time will be the same.
- ROAST VEGETABLES: Place diced vegetables in casserole dish with oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Toss to coat evenly. Place in oven to roast for 30 minutes or until starting to brown.
- BAKE WITH RICE: Add rice and broth (or water). Cover dish tightly. Use aluminum foil or a cover for casserole dish. I use both. You don't want the steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes. If the rice is not soft enough, add a little more liquid, cover and cook another 5 minutes or so.
- FINISHING TOUCHES WITH ADD-INS: Uncover rice dish. Fluff with fork. Add lemon zest, feta, olives and parsley (skip anything you don't like). Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. You can add a little bit of lemon juice, fresh herbs, pepper, etc. For added richness, stir in 1 tablespoon butter if you like.
Recipe Notes
- Rice options: Any long-grain rice is fine. You can also use brown rice, but you will have to adjust the liquid and baking time. Add an extra 1/4 cup/59 ml broth and bake the rice dish for an extra 15 minutes (total of 45 minutes). If the rice grains are not tender enough at this point, add a little more broth/water and bake another 5-10 minutes..
- Vegetables: I use zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onions and red pepper. Mushrooms and green beans are other options. Use as many or as few types as you like to measure 3 cups of diced veggies.
- Broth options: Use vegetable or chicken broth. To make your own, add a heaping teaspoon broth base or powder to 1 cup (237 ml) of water (plus 2 tablespoons). You can use water instead, but add a bit more seasoning (e.g. Italian, oregano, basil, thyme).
- Variations:
- add fresh herbs like thyme, oregano or dill.
- replace olives with capers or sun dried tomatoes.
- add red pepper flakes for heat
- garnish with toasted pine nuts
- to make a yellow rice, add a pinch of cumin and/or turmeric.
- add some raisins with the rice and broth before baking the rice dish.
- make a substantial meal by adding grilled chicken, fish, tofu or meat once the Mediterranean rice is cooked.
- Make ahead: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat, covered, in the microwave for a couple of minutes or in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. The rice can also be frozen, but the vegetables may get quite soft. You can make the recipe hours ahead and warm it up before serving.Â
