This kale & garlic rice is simple, flavorful and super easy to make! It’s made with simple ingredients, including plenty of garlic, all in one pot. It’s a great rice side dish to serve on holidays and special occasions or to spruce up your usual fare during regular weeknight dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Kale & Garlic Rice
- Simple ingredients: It’s mostly made with pantry staples that you likely already have on hand.
- Plenty of garlic for the garlic lovers: You need about 6-8 cloves. Slice and fry half until crisp. Mince the other half to cook with the rice in the leftover, garlic-infused oil.
- Easy way to eat more kale: After chopping and massaging, pop the kale into the pot of rice as it rests. Cover with the lid and let the residual heat and moisture steam cook the kale until soft & tender.
- Versatile side dish: This garlicky kale rice would make a great, no-brainer side to so many different types of mains. It’s also easily made vegan which gives it even more sharing potential!
How to Make Garlic Rice with Steamed Kale
Prep Kale & Garlic
Kale: Remove the hard kale stems then wash and chop into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle a bit of olive over the kale then grab big handfuls and scrunch for a minute or two to soften the leaves.
Garlic prep: Grate or finely mince half the garlic cloves and thinly slice the remaining half.
Fry Garlic Slices
Fry: Warm a couple tablespoons olive oil over a medium-low heat then add the sliced garlic. Cook for about 2-5 minutes, stirring often until golden brown. remove the garlic, but leave behind the oil. Set aside the fried garlic to add at the end.
Remove: Remove the garlic, but leave behind the oil. Set aside the fried garlic to add at the end.
Cook Rice & Steam Kale
Toast/fry rice: Fry the dry rice in the garlic-infused oil for about 5-10 minutes until the grains start to brown and smell nutty. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Add liquids: Add stock or water (add salt if using water) and bring to a boil then reduce and simmer with the lid on until the grains are plump & no liquid remains.
Add kale & steam: Turn off the heat and add the prepped kale to the pot. Cover with the lid and let the rice rest and the kale steam for about 10-15 minutes until the kale is tender.
Fluff & Finish
Fluff up: Add fresh herbs and crispy garlic slices to the pot then use a couple of forks to toss the kale and fluff up the rice until well combined.
↳FYI – Cooking Time & Temperature
Every stove top/burner is different and this can have an impact on how you cook your rice best. I find I have to slightly alter temperatures, cook times and even water amounts depending on which burner I use on the same stove.
After you add the lid and reduce the temperature, keep an eye on your pot. If the water is still rapidly boiling a couple minutes after your reduced the temperature as low as it can go, turn off the heat. The residual heat of the burner will keep cooking the rice, but you might need to leave it longer to cook before fluffing.
A Few Quick Notes & Things to Keep in Mind
What type of Rice?
Use white basmati rice. Basmati is a long-grain rice ideal for making light & fluffy pilaf dishes like this. It’s mildly aromatic, grain, low-starch and doesn’t get mushy as easily as other varieties.
White jasmine rice works great too! It’s grains a slightly small and the texture comes out a bit softer, but will still leave you with a nice, fluffy rice.
Why massage the Kale?
- reduces bitterness: Massaging breaks down the bitter flavor compounds leaving behind more noticeable plant sugars.
- softens texture: Gently scrunching the leaves breaks down the naturally scratchy and fibrous texture.
- cooks faster: Softened leaves absorb liquids faster and easier which means it steams faster.
Water or stock?
Use either or a combination of both.
If you use all stock/broth then I recommend using a low-sodium variety so it’s doesn’t get too salty. If you chose water, add more salt.
I personally find the sweet spot to be an even mix of water/veggie stock.
BTW – If you don’t need this to be vegan/vegetarian, feel free to use chicken stock instead of veggie stock/water.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this easy garlic rice recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Kale and Garlic Rice Recipe
Fluffy garlic rice tossed with steamed kale and topped with crispy golden garlic slices. A simple, flavorful side dish made with garlic-infused oil.
Ingredients
- 6-8 fresh garlic cloves, divided
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided (60g)
- 2 cups uncooked long grain white basmati rice or white jasmine rice(400g)
- ¾ tsp salt - omit if using broth/stock
- 4 cups water or vegetable stock (960ml)
- 4 cups chopped kale leaves - stems removed (about 140g)
- small handful fresh parsley, chopped - optional
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse rice: Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with water until the water runs clear. Shake off as much excess water as you can and set aside while you prep the garlic & kale.
- Kale prep: Add the chopped kale leaves to a large bowl. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Grab handfuls of the kale and scrunch together to soften the leaves and mix everything up for about a minute. Set aside for now.
- Garlic prep: Grate or finely mince half the garlic cloves and set aside. Thinly slice the remaining half of garlic. The garlic slices will cook first.
- Fry garlic slices: Warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium or large sauce pan over a medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic slices. Cook for about 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the garlic is golden-brown. Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the garlic, leaving the oil in the pan. Transfer to a small plate or bowl and set aside until the end.
- Toast rice & garlic: Stir the rice into the garlic and oil. Increase to a medium heat and cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until the rice starts to smell a bit nutty and you notice some grains turn golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
- Add liquid & cook: Stir in the stock (or water + salt) to the pot. Raise the temperature as needed to bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, immediately cover with a fitted lid and reduce the temperature back down to a low heat. Let the rice cook, without stirring, for about 10-12 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
- Add kale: Add the prepped kale to the pot then cover with the lid again. Do this quickly to keep the heat/steam in. Take the pot off the heat and set aside for another 10-12 minutes to steam cook the kale.
- Fluff & finish: Fluff up the rice and kale with a couple of forks until the kale is evenly mixed in then add the fresh parsley and fried garlic slices. Taste and season as you see fit with salt and pepper. Serve warm and enjoy.
- Store: Transfer leftover rice to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
- If you don't need this to be vegan/vegetarian: You can use chicken stock in place of water or vegetable broth and butter in place of olive oil.
- A note on cooking rice: Different pots and stovetops can affect how quickly water evaporates when cooking rice. Make sure to immediately cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer once it starts to boil and keep an eye on the pot as it cooks. If the water evaporates too quickly before the rice is tender your can add about 1/4 cup hot water and continue cooking until done.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
Leave a Review!