Cauliflower Rice Pilaf with Vegetables {Frozen or Fresh}

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Make low-carb Cauliflower Rice Pilaf with Vegetables in the oven using frozen OR fresh veggies. You don't need to defrost them first either!

Ever since discovering the magic of roasting cauliflower rice so it becomes soft and fluffy, we've been making variations like this one. It's a "pilaf" because it has lots of flavor from herbs and spices. 

But, unlike traditional vegetable rice pilaf that cooks on the stove-top, this version bakes in the oven. Diced vegetables are tossed in too so they soften and caramelize at the same time.

Which brings me to why I think you'll love this low-carb, gluten-free side dish (even if you don't follow a particular diet):

• It's customizable based upon whatever fresh and/or frozen ingredients you have on hand.
• Using frozen veggies is a time-saver and it's budget-friendly.
• You can even turn it into a sheet pan meal!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• More Mix-ins
• Make it a meal
• More Cauliflower Rice Recipes
• 📋 Recipe

Ingredients

The pan's the limit when it comes to this recipe! A large standard sheet pan holds about 4-5 cups of riced and diced vegetables. It will be tight. But, strive to smooth all the ingredients into a single layer.

Vegetables

Use a combination of fresh or frozen:

• cauliflower - to make it fresh, process cauliflower florets in a food processor to resemble rice
• onion 
• celery 
• peppers (red or green) 

Tip: You'll find bags of frozen cauli-rice and bags of frozen diced vegetable mixes on the freezer aisle. Buy one of each and mix them together. You'll have all the vegetables prepped and ready to go for this recipe!

In the article All about Mirepoix, Serious Eats details the differences between mirepoix, trinity and other regional mixtures. Or, you can just pick the one you like the most when you're at the grocery store!

Vegetable Variations:

We often use carrots instead of peppers and you'll find pictures of the final dish both ways. Chopped mushrooms are a nice addition too.

Aromatics

Season the mixture by tossing it with olive oil and fresh or dried herbs, such as:

• garlic*
• parsley*
• thyme*
• basil
• lemon pepper seasoning
• creole seasoning for a spicy version

*We used these ingredients.

Mix garlic and dried herbs in before you bake the pilaf. Stir fresh herbs in just before serving. 

More Mix-ins

Punch the flavor up even more by adding some of these ingredients after the vegetables are done:

• Nuts - particularly roasted and chopped walnuts, almonds or pinenuts
• Dried fruit - you don't need a lot to get the flavor. 
• Sundried tomatoes
• Parmesan Cheese - or Asiago
• Bacon

Make it a meal

Add cooked sausage, ground or cut into slices, and turn Cauliflower Rice Pilaf into a complete meal. The sausage can be cooked right along with the vegetables or on the side.

We usually cook it separately because my daughter adds a vegan sausage and I love chicken sausage. That way everyone's happy. 🙂

Tip: If you need to double the recipe, place the oven racks right next to each other. In my oven that leaves just enough room to slide a sheet pan in the middle. Put the sheet pans into the oven long ways and push each one to the side so they only overlap a little in the middle. 

More Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Check out Ways to use Frozen Cauliflower Rice which includes these popular dishes:

• Curried Cauliflower Rice
• Cauliflower Grits
• Cauliflower Muffins

📋 Recipe