Mediterranean Vegetable Pilaf

Creamy Mediterranean vegetable pilaf made with zucchini, red pepper and eggplant and flavored with fresh garlic and oregano.

This Mediterranean vegetable pilaf is surprisingly tasty for how simple and easy it is to make. The short grain Arborio rice soaks in all the flavors of the red pepper, zucchini, eggplant and garlic as it cooks.

Besides dicing up the vegetables there's not a lot of prep involved. You can even throw in a can of chickpeas to make it a complete meal. Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Quick Summary

• Dice up the zucchini, red pepper and eggplant and mince the garlic;
• Sauté the vegetables and garlic in olive oil until reduced;
• Add the rice, water and seasonings then cover and cook for 15-17 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.

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• Quick Summary
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Serving Suggestion
• Related
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Rice: A short grain rice is ideal. Good choices include Arborio, carnaroli or even sushi rice. Short grain rice has more starch so when it cooks, the starch absorbs liquid and gives a creamy texture to food. If you don't have it then just use any rice, it will still be good.
• Mediterranean vegetables (zucchini, red pepper and eggplant): This trifecta of Mediterranean veggies have it all - creaminess from zucchini and eggplant plus sweetness from the red pepper.
• Red onion: Red onion has a slightly brighter and sweeter flavor compared to yellow, which brings more of a pop to the pilaf.
• Garlic: Garlic does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of flavor and goes really well with the vegetables in this pilaf.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is for sautéing the onion, garlic and veggies. It also adds nice flavor. You can substitute any other neutral oil if you prefer.
• Dried oregano: Oregano is the quintessential Mediterranean herb. Feel free to add other seasoning to your liking.
• Salt: Start with the amount of salt indicated in the recipe card but taste and adjust to your own preference.
• Water: Water is for cooking the rice. You can substitute vegetable broth or stock for more flavor. Keep in mind that the amount of water needed depends on the type of rice used. See instructions for details.

Equipment

You'll need a large skillet to make this pilaf. I used a 25 cm / 10 inch All Clad pan.

I prefer a pan to a pot for pilaf since the larger surface area allows the vegetables to evaporate excess liquid a bit better. The surface area also gives the rice a nicer texture since the heat is distributed throughout a bit more evenly.

Instructions

Cut the zucchini, red pepper and eggplant into small cubes. Finely dice the onion and thinly slice or mince/mash the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on high. When the oil is hot add the aromatics, vegetables, salt and oregano.

Sauté until the vegetables are reduced.

Once the vegetables are reduced, then add the rice and 3.5 cups of water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15-17 minutes.

Note: Short grain rice needs more water

Short grain rice cooks slower than long grain and therefore needs water.

For long grain rice the normal ratio is about 2 parts water for 1 part rice (3 cups water for 1.5 cups rice) but for short grain you'll need to add another half cup water at least but maybe more.

Keep an eye on the rice while cooking - test it for doneness and if the water absorbs before it's cooked, then add a bit more water (probably a quarter to a half cup).

Serving Suggestion

I served this Mediterranean vegetable pilaf with chickpea and rice stuffed leeks plus a dollop of dill garlic yogurt sauce for an unbelievably flavorful plant-forward meal.

Related

Looking for more Mediterranean recipe inspiration? Maybe you'll like one of these:

Recipe