Rice ‘n’ Easy
Sometimes the best meals are the simplest one. This recipe brings together familiar flavours, pantry‑friendly ingredients, and easy, fuss‑free cooking to create something both satisfying and effortless. It’s perfect for using up leftover vegetables, gentle on your budget, and ideal for days when you want something wholesome without spending hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients
1 tsp oil
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut or scissored into small pieces (for a meat-free version use drained and rinsed tinned lentils/ beans)
½ red pepper, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1 tomato, de seeded and chopped
50g rice per person, so 100g (which is half a mug full)
1 handful frozen peas
A few broccoli florets, or use the stalk chopped up
Black pepper
Chilli, to taste
Mug boiling water Soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce
Method
1. Add the oil to your heated saucepan.
2. Add onions, red pepper and bacon and cook for a few minutes.
3. Make a hole in the middle, add garlic, when you smell the garlic, stir into the mix, add black pepper.
4. Add the chilli, chopped tomato and broccoli. Stir in and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the rice and the mug of boiling water, stir together.
6. Add the frozen peas, mix in, bring back to the boil. No need to keep stirring it. (Add tinned beans or lentils here if you aren’t using bacon, or even if you are, for extra fibre).
7. Cover the saucepan with a lid or foil. Leave for at least 5 minutes on a medium heat.
8. Then, lift the lid to give a quick stir and put cover back on.
9. Leave for another 4/5 minutes.
10. Check the rice progress - if it’s not quite cooked and starting to stick, add a small amount of water and loosen the bottom. Turn the heat down. Leave for 1 or 2 minutes, with the lid on.
11. Check the rice is cooked. If it is, add some soy sauce and serve, add extra sweet chilli if required.
Top tips
You can also change the seasonings:
Use chopped chicken thigh, add curry powder or garam masala for a biryani style meal.
Add smoked paprika for a smoky bacon flavour if you aren’t using bacon.
Add Italian herbs like Oregano and Basil with extra tomato and add some grated cheese at the end.
Use finely chopped pork loin with mushrooms, sage and thyme adding some soured cream or yogurt at the end.
This recipe has a long history.
Devised by a group of learners in 1998 as part of the Great Yarmouth Cooks project. Used as a key recipe in The Joy of Food in 2005 and used by the Love Food Hate Waste campaign as one of their recipe ideas to use up leftovers.
Now part of Norfolk Adult Learning’s Food Skills Programme for you to enjoy too.
