Best Ever Warm Summer Rice

This best ever warm summer rice is packed with flavor. Brown rice is cooked, lightly coated in a balsamic-soy dressing, and tossed with caramelized red onions, grape tomatoes, and chives. It’s a simple but heartwarming rice that makes an excellent side dish but can also be served on its own for a light lunch or dinner.

Warm rice is probably not the first thing you think of when you’re planning out a summer meal, but let me give you 5 reasons why it’s so great.

1| You can make a big batch on Sunday or Monday and have a tasty side to pair with your salads, burritos, grilled veggies, etc. throughout the week. One time cooking = a week’s worth of rice fulfillment.

2| Rice is the perfect blank canvas to toss your random assortment of farmers market veggies at, and you could easily forget about the vegetables I’m suggesting and use whatever you have in your home at the moment.

Note: If you’re anything like me, you probably have a variety of totally random farmers market picks that seemed like a fantastic idea as you tucked them into your reusable woven satchel last Saturday but turned out to be a bit impractical once you fell from your weekend bliss and slid back into your sensible, weekday self. Squash blossoms? Kohlrabi? Ghost peppers? Garlic scapes? Chioggia Beets? Green Zebra Tomatoes? Dudhi? Durian? Dragon Tongue Beans? With that haul, you’ll have yourself the makings of a Harry Potter potion. Bombarda Maximus! Fear not, lay your magic wand to rest, and make summer rice instead.

3| Warm rice with a confetti dusting of veggies and a tangy, savory balsamic-soy dressing? Yum. That’s all I have to say about that one.

4| It’s pretty! With all of those summer vegetables tucked away between nutty, chewy brown rice grains, this dish looks like a party in a bowl. Guess what? If you make it, you can also have a party in yo’ mouth.

5| It’s affordable! This recipe makes five cups of rice and only cost me about $4.50 to make (and that was using organic ingredients). Fun on your plate, money in your pocket.

Convinced yet?

For this recipe, brown rice is cooked, lightly coated in a balsamic-soy dressing, and tossed with caramelized red onions, grape tomatoes, and chives. It’s a simple but heartwarming rice that is so satisfying. I’ve made this rice about 100+ times (okay, maybe not that many but close), and Dan and I love it tossed into salads, paired with roasted kale, or snuggled next to a hearty vegetable burrito. It’s also awesome all by its lonesome.

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Best Ever Warm Summer Rice

This best ever warm summer rice is packed with flavor. Brown rice is cooked, lightly coated in a balsamic-soy dressing, and tossed with caramelized red onions, grape tomatoes, and chives. It's a simple but heartwarming rice that makes an excellent side dish but can also be served on its own for a light lunch or dinner.

Course Main, Rice, Side

Cuisine Gluten-Free, plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings 5 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 3 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Add the brown rice and water to a saucepan. Heat over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let stand and fluff with a fork.
• While the rice cooks, peel and thinly slice the red onion. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook the onions until caramelized (about 20 more minutes). Let the onions cool and then chop them.
• While the onions cook, add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk together.
• Once the rice is cooked, carefully pour it into a large bowl. Add in the chopped caramelized onions, grape tomatoes, chives, and the balsamic dressing. Toss to coat and serve.
• Refrigerate leftovers.