Cheesy zucchini rice refreshes your side dish rotation and will get your family excited about eating veggies. This cheesy rice is fabulous along with any of your favorite meats and mains and a yummy way to use up your garden zucchini.
The summer squash just keeps on growing, and I’ve been inundated with zucchs (pronounced zukes).
Believe me when I tell you, I am not complaining.
I’m always appreciative of my gorgeous green bounty and looking for delicious ways to use it.
And this cheesy zucchini rice is definitely a delicious way to use it!
It’s also incredibly versatile, and goes well with pretty much any main dish, or you could even mix in some extra vegetables and serve it as a vegetarian entree or just a light summer lunch.
However you decide to make it, just make it – before zucchini season is over!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Rice– Long grain white rice
- Broth– Chicken or vegetable (if keeping this vegetarian)
- Butter– For extra richness
- Zucchini– Grated
- Cheese– Shredded cheddar or any other kind of cheese you’d like
- Spices– Garlic powder, salt, and pepper
- Milk– A splash as needed
How to Make
Making cheesy zucchini rice is pretty easy.
Just heat the oil in a medium pan or pot over medium heat.
Stir in the rice to coat it in oil.
Then add in the broth and bring to a boil.
Once everything comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover the rice.
Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
At this point, take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter, zucchini, cheese, and garlic until evenly combined.
Put the cover back on the pot and let the rice sit for about 5 minutes.
Stir again and then add in the salt and pepper and a splash of milk if you’d like to thin the mixture out a bit or if it needs an extra dash of creaminess.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Tips and Tricks
- Add extra veggies if desired. Fresh sweet corn kernels would be delicious with this rice
- Turn this into a complete meal by sauteeing up some chicken and adding it to the rice.
- Use any cheese you’d like or feel free to adjust the amount of cheese if you are trying to eat healthier.
Other Zucchini Recipes
Cheesy zucchini rice is the quintessential summer side dish.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other zucchini recipes?
Try these:
- Zucchini & Squash Au Gratin
- Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Sausage & Zucchini Casserole
- Hibachi Style Zucchini & Onions
- Summer Soup With Zucchini & Corn
- Zucchini Fritters With Chili Lime Mayo
If you’ve tried this CHEESY ZUCCHINI RICE or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium or 2 small zucchini grated
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- splash milk as needed
Instructions
- In a medium pan, or pot, over medium heat, heat the oil.
- Add the rice, briefly giving it a stir to coat, and then add in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cover.
- Simmer 15 – 20 minutes, or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Remove the pan or pot from the heat source. Stir in the butter, zucchini, cheese, and garlic and continue stirring until evenly combined. Re-cover and let the rice sit for about 5 minutes.
- Stir again and then add in the salt and pepper and a splash of milk (if needed) if you’d like to thin the mixture out a bit or if it needs an extra dash of creaminess.
Notes
Nutrition
Chitra Jagadish says
looks delicious….
4 Sons 'R' Us says
Thanks, Chitra! It is!!!!
Hilda says
You are lucky. None of my zucchinis made it this year. It seems it is either feast or famine with them. Hope I’ll find someone to trade with because it really is a super and versatile vegetable. Otherwise will just have to bite the bullet and buy some.
4 Sons 'R' Us says
I am VERY blessed in my zucchini abundance! Even though they’re ‘in season’ here, they’re still selling for ridiculously high prices at the grocery stores ($2/lb) and they’re not even sourcing them locally. If you have to buy them, check out your local farmers market. We went there today just to stock up on a few things, and the special was spend $15 and get 10 lbs free summer squash, green or yellow, plus several other things. I am definitely going to be exhausting my new found trove of zucchini recipes 😉
Selma's Table says
Love zucchini or as we call them, courgettes! One of my favourite ways to have them is raw, grated and doused in olive oil, lemon, garlic and mint. Yours is a lovely recipe – very comforting too! On another note, I noticed that you have not included a link to Angies post on FF#24 – please would you edit your post to include it so that you can be considered for a feature next week. In the meantime, thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe with us and Happy Fiesta Friday!
Miz Helen says
We have lots of Zucchini in our garden this will be a great recipe to try. Thanks so much for sharing with Foods of The World as we visit Greece.
Miz Helen
Julia@Mini Van Dreams says
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it Thank you for linking up at Tickle My Tastebuds last week. I am featuring you on tomorrow’s party! Make sure you stop by and share some more delicious recipes!
Julia @ Mini Van Dreams
Laura says
made the fritters turned out awesome can’t keep them in the house lol tried the cheesy zucchini rice and I laugh cuz my hubby always says he hates rice but he had 4 helpings of it. keep it coming love trying new things and the family loves it all.
4 Sons 'R' Us says
Lol, your hubby sounds a lot like mine 🙂 So glad you liked both of them. We’ve got plenty more coming!
Colleen says
I have never been a fan of plain rice so a recipe like this one really makes me smile. Cheese, veggies, and rice together…what could be more perfect? Thanks for sharing on Fiesta Friday! – Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck – Colleen
Trish Reynolds says
I love all your recipes, and am copying many. But I find the Servings amount difficult to read. I wish they were listed in white, instead of blue.
4sonsrus says
Thank you for the feedback, Trish. You’re right it was a bit hard to read- so I went ahead and adjusted them to white so they should be easy to read now. Hope you continue to visit and find many more recipes to enjoy!