EASY Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables Bowl
This Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables dish is easy to make and is full of flavor and comfort. It comes together fast and is a great way to spice up your regular pork or chicken dinner.
The inspiration for this recipe came when I was viewing a shrimp fajitas recipe on another blog. But I didn’t have any tortillas on hand and I didn’t want to make an additional sauce for the fajitas. So I decided to fry the shrimp and vegetables and serve them with rice (which I always have on hand) and so this shrimp rice bowl recipe was born.
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Ingredients for the Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables
Here is a list of ingredients needed for this Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables Recipe:
- Shrimp
- Red bell peppers
- Onion or shallots
- Garlic
- Zucchini
- Spices & Seasonings (Sweet paprika, garlic powder, ground cumin, chili flakes (optional if you don’t like spicy), black pepper, and salt.
- Rice – we love Basmati Rice, but any kind works
- Water for cooking rice
- Oil (I love to use olive oil)
How to Make Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables
Prepare Ingredients
Start by preparing the ingredients for the recipe.
- Bell Peppers – core and seed the bell peppers and julienne into thin slices.
- Onion – Peel the onion or shallots and also slice in long slices.
- Zucchini – Cut the Zucchini lengthwise into four “logs” and then chop into smaller pieces (so they look like triangles) or cut lengthwise in half and chop into halves.
- Garlic – Mince finely.
- Rice – measure out the rice and rinse it with water. Measure out the water needed for cooking rice.
- Shrimp – wash and dry shrimp using paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.
Sauté Shrimp
Heat up a skillet to medium-high heat and pour some oil into it (make sure it is hot before starting). Start with sautéing the shrimp. Make sure you sauté in one layer and only sauté 2-3 minutes per side. Flip when the first side is done, and sauté the other side. Remove from pan and place into a separate bowl.
Sauté Vegetables
Using the same skillet (you might need to add a bit more oil), add the bell pepper and onion. Sauté a bit until the onion strips are well separated. Add zucchini. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft (but not mushy) and until they have little sear marks (about 10 minutes). Add minced garlic and spices and seasonings and sauté further for about a minute. Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Sauté and mix everything until the shrimp are just warmed through. Remove from heat.
Cook Rice
As your vegetables are still sautéing, cook the rice. It only needs 15 minutes to cook. You can also prepare it before you start sautéing the vegetables, if you want. I prefer to cook the rice at the same time as the vegetables need some time before they get to the consistency I like.
Add your rice, water, oil, and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and set aside before ready to serve. View my detailed post with all my tips and tricks on How to Cook Stove top Rice Perfectly. The ratio of rice to water that I use is 1:1, meaning for every 1 cup of rice you need 1 cup of water. Makes perfect, fluffy rice every time!
Serve Shrimp Rice Bowl
Once the vegetables are ready, fluff up the rice and serve the veggies over the rice.
Ingredient Substitutions
Vegetables – Bell pepper, onion and zucchini work especially well in this recipe. You can also substitute these with other bell peppers (yellow or green), yellow squash, snap peas, cauliflower and maybe broccoli. Keep in mind I haven’t tested these, so you might need to adjust the cooking time and spice amounts.
Shrimp – You can substitute shrimp with chicken pieces or even beef pieces. You will definitely need to adjust the sautéing time for these as the shrimp just cook in no time.
Rice – If you are looking to substitute the rice, quinoa is a good option for this. You can also use other types of rice, such as brown rice to make this a bit healthier, or even barley. Check out my posts on How to Cook Quinoa Perfectly and How to Cook Barley for detailed information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this be made ahead of time?
This dish tastes best freshly made and hot. With that said, you can prep all the ingredients in advance and keep them covered in the fridge until right before you make the dish.
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes, see the section above on Ingredient Substitutions.
What vegetable goes well with shrimp?
All vegetables mentioned above would go well with shrimp.
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen shrimp. In fact, I only use frozen in my recipes because fresh are so hard to come by and are expensive. Just let the shrimp thaw before using (if you place them in water, they thaw in 10-20 minutes).
What do you use to season shrimp?
When cooking with shrimp, I usually season them with just salt and pepper. They don’t need anything more as the rest of the flavor will come from the other spices in the dish, in this case: paprika, cumin, chili flakes, and garlic powder.
What is deveining a shrimp and do I have to do it?
Deveining is basically removing the digestive tract of the shrimp which is found along the back of the shrimp running from head to tail. It is not really a vein, but the intestines of the shrimp. It is not harmful to eat shrimp if they are not deveined, but the taste of the dish might be impacted. So I definitely recommend deveining a shrimp, though it might be a bit time consuming. Here is a good post from another blog with all the details on deveining: What does it Mean to Devein a Shrimp. To avoid this altogether I buy shrimp that has already been deveined.
How to avoid shrimp becoming hard?
The biggest reason for shrimp becoming hard during cooking is over cooking them. To avoid this, make sure the oil for sautéing is hot and sauté each side no more than 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat right away.
How to store left over Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables?
Left over shrimp and veggies can be combined together with rice and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the pan/skillet on low heat and by adding a bit of water (You can also re-heat in the microwave). In our house, storing the dish for a while has never been a problem as it is gone by the next day.
Enjoy your delicious Shrimp and Rice Vegetables bowl!
EASY Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables Bowl
Ingredients
- 1lb (400g) Shrimp
- 2 Red bell peppers
- 1 Big onion (or 2-3 shallots)
- 1 Medium Zucchini
- 2-3 Garlic cloves
Spices and Seasonings
- ¼ tsp Sweet Paprika
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Ground cumin
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Black pepper (or to taste)
- Chili flakes (to taste, or omit)
Rice
- 1 ¼ cups Basmati Rice
- 1 ¼ cups Water
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
Rice
- Measure out and wash rice and measure out the water for cooking rice (ratio 1:1).
- Using a small saucepan, combine the rice, water, tablespoon of olive oil and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat as soon as rice is done. (I do this while sautéing the veggies, but his can be done first as the rice will still stay warm).
Vegetables
- Start out by prepping the ingredients. Wash bell pepper and zucchini. Julienne into thin strips. Peel the onion/shallots and likewise slice into thin strips. Peel the garlic and mince finely.
- In a small bowl, wash shrimp and dry using a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Heat some oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp to (hot) oil and sauté 2-3 minutes. Then flip over to the other side and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set a side.
- Using the same skillet, add the peppers, onions and zucchini to the oil and sauté on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft but not mushy (around 10 minutes).
- Once the vegetables are soft enough for your taste, add the minced garlic and sauté for about a minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Add the rest of the spices and seasonings and mix well.
- Add back the sautéed shrimp to skillet and let them warm through. Adjust the salt level if needed.
- Fluff up rice and serve sautéed vegetables over rice.
Lastly, if you make this Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables Recipe, make sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating here! I’d love to hear back from you and will do my best to answer and respond to every comment. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe. I’d love to see the photos of the recipes you have made!
EASY Shrimp and Rice with Vegetables Bowl
This Shrimp with Rice and Vegetables dish is easy to make and is full of flavor and comfort. It comes together fast and is a great way to spice up your regular pork or chicken dinner.
Type: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keywords: Shrimp, Seafood, Rice Bowl, Shrimp and Rice with Vegetables
Recipe Yield: 6 servings
Preparation Time: PT0H15M
Cooking Time: PT0H25M
Total Time: PT0H40M
Recipe Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Bell Peppers
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Garlic
- Spices and Seasonings
Recipe Instructions: Prepare the rice (detailed instructions in post). Then sauté the shrimps with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet. Sauté bell peppers, onion and zucchini. Add garlic and spices. Mix well. Add the shrimp back in and stir until just warmed through. Serve over rice.
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