One-Pot Vegan Spanish Rice

This Spanish Rice is a delicious, easy one-pot meal. Make with whole foods ingredients, perfect for meatless Mondays! Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.

This Spanish Rice recipe has been recreated from a childhood dish I ate often.

We all have food memories from our childhood, right?

Some we remember with distaste (ugh jigs dinner, fried caplin, cod tongues, and liver).

Others we remember with fondness – like this Spanish Rice.

As I’ve mentioned before, my mom had six children, all girls. She cooked many dishes from scratch, and her Spanish Rice was in regular meal rotation.

I don’t know where my mom’s Spanish Rice dish originated from. I figure she found the recipe in a magazine and cut it out, or it was passed along in a handwritten note by a friend.

Remember when we did that??

Tore out recipes from magazine and added them to a binder with handwritten favorites?

There was something so special and treasured about those homemade cookbooks.

Or, my mother may have ‘winged it’. She did that often, as I do.

When you cool often you don’t need to measure ingredients all the time. You just go by texture, smell, flavor, and build on those elements as you go.

What was always characteristic about this dish is that it always contained corn, chopped bell peppers, rice, and beef. It was more of a casserole than a stew, just prepped on the stove.

For years I wanted to veganize this dish from childhood. I didn’t ask her for the recipe. I’m not sure if she still has it in her collection of hand-written recipes.

I just began building the textures and flavors as I remembered. After a few trials, I think I came pretty close! It’s a comforting dish with homey flavors and textures.

Best of all, this vegan Spanish Rice is so simple to prepare. Get it all into a pot and let the magic begin!

I hope this Spanish Rice becomes a family favorite for you as well.

Enjoy! x Dreena

Looking for some Spanish or Mexican dishes? Check these out!

• Vegan Chickpea Tacos
• Healthy Vegan Nacho Dip Recipe
• Mexican Bean Soup with Chipotle Avocado Cream

Print Pin

5 from 8 votes

Vegan Spanish Rice

Course entree, Main Course

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp water (ore more if needed)
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 – 1 1/4 tsp sea salt start with 1 tsp
• black pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry green or french lentils
• 3 – 3 1/4 cups water
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups precooked brown rice see note if using uncooked rice
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 3/4 – 1 cup corn kernels can use frozen
• extra salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the water, onion, oregano, basil, paprika and sea salt. Stir, cover, and let cook for 5-6 minutes. If mixture is sticking, add another splash of water. Remove the cover, and add the lentils, water (starting with 3 cups), and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, then add the bell pepper, rice, tomato paste, vinegar, and maple syrup. Return cover and cook for another 5 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked through. If lentils are still firm, add the remaining water and let cook another 5-10 minutes. Once cooked through, stir in corn kernels (let heat through for a couple of minutes if frozen corn kernels). Taste, season with additional salt or pepper as desired, and serve.

Notes

• Rice note: If you don’t have precooked rice, use 1 cup of dry brown rice, and add another 2 cups of water to cook.