This Chimichurri Rice is a vibrant and flavor packed side dish. Not only does it look great on the table, but it pairs well with so many cuisines.
We love to serve this rice in the summer with grilled tofu, vegetable kabobs or vegan brats.
While this recipe just screams summer to me we like to enjoy it year round. If we don't have some chimichurri sauce in the freezer ready to go, a store-bought sauce works just fine.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- rice- we like to use Basmati rice for this dish, but most any white rice will work just fine
- chimichurri sauce - you can use a store-bought sauce or make one from scratch. We love making our vegan chimichurri sauce recipe because it comes together in minutes.
- onion - here we've used a yellow onion, but white or red would work as well
- red bell pepper - we chose a red pepper for the color, but any bell pepper would be fine
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
We prefer to make this recipe using a rice cooker because rice cookers are typically going to give you a better result. Don't get me wrong - we love our instant pot, but still think that a rice cooker can't be beat.
I'll give instructions for both however because it's nice to have options!
Start by rinsing your rice for 1-2 minutes in cold water until the water is running clear. This will remove a good amount of starch and result in fluffier rice that isn't sticking together as much.
Add rice and water to your rice cooker and cook on the white rice setting. Or if using an instant pot add water and rice and cook on high for 6 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
While the rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often until softened.
When the rice has finished cooking transfer to a large bowl and mix in the cooked vegetables and chimichurri sauce until thoroughly combined.
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
The ratio that we like best for rice cookers is 1 part rice to 2 parts water and for the instant pot it's equal parts rice and water.
No, if I'm in a rush I'll use the saute feature on the rice cooker or instant pot to cook them before adding in the rice. However, I prefer to cook them separately so that I have more control over how done they get.
Top Tips
Here are a few key things to keep in mind for successful chimichurri rice -
- Make sure to rinse your rice! It just takes a minute or two, but it's worth it. Trust me.
- You can use store-bought chimichurri sauce to make this a super quick side dish, but we like to make up a batch of our favorite vegan chimichurri sauce recipe and freeze it into small portions. Then just defrost for a bit in the microwave before tossing with the cooked rice.
Storage
This chimichurri rice can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and warmed up in the microwave.
We prefer to make this fresh, but I've frozen it before and it was just fine. I probably wouldn't serve it to company, but my family hasn't complained.
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Chimichurri Rice
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Chimichurri Rice is a vibrant and flavor packed side dish. Not only does it look great on the table, but it pairs well with so many cuisines.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- water - 3 cups for rice cooker or 1 ½ cups for instant pot
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- ½ large onion, small dice
- ½ red bell pepper, small dice
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- ¾ cup chimichurri sauce
Instructions
- First rinse the rice under cold running water for 1-2 minutes until it runs clear.
- Then add to the rice cooker or instant pot along with the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- If using a rice cooker choose the white rice setting and for the instant pot cook on high for 6 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
- While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a pan over medium heat and then add in onion, red peppers, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
- When the rice is done transfer it to a large bowl and mix in the onions and peppers. Then stir in the chimichurri sauce until combined.
Notes
- Make sure to rinse your rice! It just takes a minute or two, but it's worth it. Trust me.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: South American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 504
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