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Whether you serve it as a vegan main dish or a side dish for chicken, pork, or beef, mushrooms and rice with spinach is a savory, satisfying, easy win.
Why we love this recipe
Healthy comfort food feels like home to us, especially when it’s savory and deeply flavorful. This spinach and mushroom rice is always a big hit. It’s:
- Full of nutrients
- Savory, satisfying, and packed with umami
- Equally great as a vegan main dish, a side dish, or a series of lunches
- Make-ahead friendly
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free
I first published this recipe here back in 2011. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make mushrooms and rice with spinach.
- Whether white or brown (as we use here), basmati rice is my favorite long-grain variety due to its almost magical flavor and aroma. You can substitute regular brown rice if that’s what you’ve got.
- You can use any variety of mushrooms that you like. I often use a combination of shiitakes, chestnuts, chanterelles, and oysters.
- A little bit of soy sauce is an umami powerhouse and adds so much depth of flavor to this recipe. If it’s important to you that this dish be gluten-free, be sure to use a certified GF soy sauce. Tamari tends to be a good option since it isn’t made with wheat.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great batch of spinach and mushroom rice. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Cook the rice according to the recipe card below, or in the Instant Pot like this. (That’s become my favorite method.)
- Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and salt and continue cooking until they’ve reduced in volume by about half. Stir in the garlic.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
- Stir in the rice, soy sauce, and chives. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Absolutely. Quinoa, white rice, farro, Israeli couscous, orzo, barley, freekeh, and more would all be great substitutions for brown basmati rice. Cook according to package directions and add to the skillet as indicated in the recipe card.
Mushroom spinach rice is super make-ahead friendly. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and is great warm or at room temperature.
How to serve it
Mushrooms and rice with spinach works beautifully as a vegan main, a series of weekday lunches, or a side dish (including at the holidays). As a side, try it with:
More favorite recipes with rice
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Spinach Mushroom Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 grams) raw brown basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 pound (454 grams) mixed fresh mushrooms (see note 1)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 ounces (142 grams) baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Instructions
- Place the rice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt into a medium pot with 1 3/4 cups cold water. (See note 2.)
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until water is absorbed, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide skillet.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Clean and slice the mushrooms. Add them to the pan and cook, still stirring occasionally, until they have reduced in volume by about half and reabsorbed any water they’ve given off during cooking, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, one minute more.
- Add the spinach to the pan and cook, stirring, until just wilted.
- When the rice and the mushroom mixture are both cooked, add the rice to the skillet.
- Add the soy sauce and chives and stir together gently but thoroughly.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use any combination of mushrooms that you like. I often use chanterelles, chestnuts, shiitakes, and oysters. A pound of mushrooms will yield approximately six cups sliced.
- Alternatively, you can cook the rice in the Instant Pot like this. It's become my favorite method.
- If it's important to you that this dish be gluten-free, be sure to use a certified GF soy sauce. Tamari tends to be a good option since it isn't made with wheat.
- Mushroom spinach rice is super make-ahead friendly. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and is great warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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NOTE: Unless you make a point of using gluten-free soy sauce, this is not automatically gluten-free. Just FYI in case you’re cooking for someone with celiac.
Yes, thank you! I always try to address this in the recipe notes but missed it this time. Will update the post.