Make-Ahead Confetti Rice

Need an easy AND nourishing side dish that can be made-ahead and everyone loves it? This make-ahead confetti rice is simple to pull together and simple to bring along with you to your dinner party too. It's also full of healthy fats and nourishing broth.

We were invited to our friends' house last night for a yummy fish dinner so I offered to bring rice to go with it. I wanted something a little more exciting than plain rice, so I looked around online and pulled together a few different recipes. I made several of my own tweaks and variations and it was a hit. I love having make-ahead options, especially when you're taking the dish to eat somewhere else, and this was so easy!

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Make-ahead Confetti Rice

You can tweak this make-ahead confetti rice any way you'd like and it'll be delicious. Skip the wine if you want, add more or less vegetables, play around with it!

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Rice

1 Tablespoon avocado oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups rice (the recipe is based on this rice which is my favorite)
3 cups chicken broth (water is fine but not as flavorful or nutritious)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Veggies

3 Tablespoons butter or avacodo oil (or I do a mix)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 onions diced
1/2 cup organic carrots, diced (or I used pre-cut organic julienned carrots)
1/2 cup organic celery, diced
1/2 cup organic red peppers, diced (or green peppers, or both!)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 cup white wine (whatever kind you like)

Before serving:

1/2 cup more broth and/or white wine
More sea salt & pepper to your taste

Instructions

Rice

Add the butter and avocado oil to the pan you'll be cooking your rice in and using medium/high heat, stir the rice around until it begins to get crispy in spots, about 3-5 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn't stick and burn. Add the broth, sea salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Move to low heat, cover and leave it for 20 minutes. (Or longer depending on your pan, check to be sure it's done and if not, cook longer.)

Veggies

While the rice is cooking, work on the veggies.
In a large skillet (I use my favorite pan!), add butter/oil, sea salt and pepper, and first saute the onions until they start to brown. Add carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften, then add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic last and cook for 1 minute. You want the veggies just soft, but still with a little crisp.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook for a minute or so, most of the wine will evaporate. Remove from heat.

Bring it together

Mix the rice and the veggies and serve, adding more sea salt and pepper to taste.

OR for making ahead:

Put it all into a greased 9x13 glass dish, let cool then keep in the fridge.
About 20 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 350*.
Pour more broth/wine over the rice/veggies and pop into the oven to reheat for 10-15 minutes until heated through.
As you serve, add more sea salt and pepper as needed to taste.