You’ve probably heard the expression, “eat the rainbow!” It’s a simple way of encouraging us to enjoy a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables daily in order to ensure balanced nutrition. This can be especially difficult for picky-eaters – I have a couple of those in my home and I bet you do too!
In fact, I’ve been know to “hide the rainbow” in sauces, smoothies, muffins, etc. in a sneaky quest to get more veggies into my picky-eaters’ bellies. But I’ve discovered that often the key to getting more veggies on my family’s plate is simply combining them in a way that isn’t overpowering, but works to really complement the overall flavors of a dish.
It also helps to fine dice the veggies – like beautiful and colorful confetti – thus the name of this recipe. Finely diced veggies blend into a dish more easily, resulting in a more balanced flavor. Plus, they spare the picky eater from having to take big solo bites of a not-so-favorite veggie.
When I’m not doing The Whole30 Program, I like to make a similar version of this dish using basmati rice. I just add the finely diced sautéed veggies to my cooked Baja-Style Cilantro Rice. Yum! However, since so many of us are taking the 30-day challenge together in July, I thought I’d share this incredibly delicious cauli-rice version.
If you haven’t made cauli-rice yet, let me assure you it’s wonderful and takes just 10-15 minutes. So it really is a quick dish to put together even on a busy night. (Especially if you process the cauliflower on your prep day and place it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. See recipe instructions below for details.)
If you’d like step-by-step instructions for making cauli-rice “magic,” be sure to check out my How to Make Cauli-Rice Photo Tutorial.
Again, this is such a simple dish to put together, especially when you remember your “mise en place.” By grating the cauliflower and fine-dicing all of the veggies in advance of starting the recipe, all you’ll need to do is heat the skillet and go …
What a beautiful rainbow of flavorful veggies! This Veggie Confetti Cauliflower Rice recipe is truly a delicious complement to your favorite grilled meats, poultry and seafood dishes. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup fine diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup fine diced cremini mushrooms
- 1/4 cup fine diced carrots
- 1/4 cup fine diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup fine diced zucchini
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup homemade chicken stock
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into florets, and then use a food processor to pulse the florets into rice-like grains (view photo tutorial here). Set riced cauliflower aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the ghee, olive oil and fine diced veggies (onion, mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper and zucchini). Sauté until veggies begin to soften.
- Then, add the salt, dried parsley, garlic powder and pepper. Stir well to combine the seasonings with the veggies.
- Add the riced cauliflower to the seasoned veggies and stir well to combine. Continue stirring and sautéing the cauli-rice until it begins to soften (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the chicken stock and cover the skillet. Allow the cauli-rice to steam for about 1-2 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the cauli-rice is "al dente" in texture. (Do not overcook or "rice" will become mushy.) Remove cover, and fluff cauli-rice to combine ingredients.
- Makes a tasty and nutritious grain-free “rice” dish to serve alongside your favorite healthy meals.
Notes
Time Saving Tip: You can process a head of cauliflower into rice up to 3-4 days in advance. Store the uncooked cauli-rice in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook. Cooked rice should also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and generally tastes great for up to 2-3 days. However, I do not recommend freezing uncooked or cooked cauli-rice, as it becomes mushy.
This looks like such a great side dish! I already have cauliflower rice in the freezer so this would come together so quick! What a nice change to eating it plain, like we usually do 🙂
Thanks so much, Jessica. I love your blog by the way. We need to connect! Big hugs, Kelly 🙂
Kelly, you introduced me to cauli-rice and mashed cauliflower and my family loves both! Wondering if you could use frozen cauliflower for this? What do you think? Thanks!
Hi, Erin. You are so sweet. Thanks for your kind note. I’m so glad your family is enjoying cauli-rice. I would recommend using only fresh cauliflower for cauli-rice because frozen is too mushy when thawed. I do think it’s better for mashed cauliflower where the texture is better suited. Hopefully, I’m making sense. 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
We’re not grain free, and rice is a bit easier – how should we prepare the rice for this dish? And about how much? I’m thinking a cup of rice, but that may be too much. Going to cook it in half chicken stock half water and then throw it in when you say for the cauli-rice, then skip the stock at the end.
Thoughts?
Yes, you are correct! If you use 3 cups of cooked rice, you can just add it to the veggie mixture in this recipe for a delicious veggie rice dish. Hope you enjoy this healthy dish! 🙂
This was delicious!! Made it tonight and my whole family loved it.
Hi, Julie! So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of our favorites too! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a kind note! With blessings, Kelly 🙂