Spiced baked rice with cauliflower and squash
This one-pot baked rice is so easy to make and full of nutritious vegetables and warming spices. Dr Rupy shows you how to make this midweek saviour for under £1 per portion.
Each serving provides 478 kcal, 12g protein, 54g carbohydrate (of which 12g sugars), 22g fat (of which 8g saturates), 8g fibre and 0.65g salt.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- ½ butternut squash (approx. 350g), deseeded and cut into 1.5cm/¾in chunks
- ½ cauliflower (approx. 350g), cut into small florets, plus any leaves
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch chilli flakes
- 200g/7oz brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 vegetable stock cube, made up with 750ml/26fl oz boiling water
- 100g/3½oz frozen spinach, defrosted
- 25g/1oz toasted flaked almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole, then fry the onions gently for 8–10 minutes, until softened and caramelised. Add the butternut squash, cauliflower florets and any leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes until they begin to colour. Stir in the spices, rice and stock. Cover with a lid, then bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Stir through the spinach and serve topped with the flaked almonds.
Recipe Tips
Cauliflower leaves shouldn’t end up in the bin! They’re delicious in this dish, or try roasting them with a little olive oil and sea salt.