Packed with veggies and cheese, this Italian style veggie fried rice is sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike.
Being a South Indian rice is our grain of choice. So, I make rice based dishes very frequently and thankfully even the family loves them. After Indianizing an Italian dish yesterday, I thought why not make an Italianized Indian dish. I landed on this YouTube video on Sasmita’s Kitchan and made this Italian style veggie fried rice.
One pot Cheesy Italian Style Fried Rice:
This recipe checks off a lot of my requirements - it’s a one-pot meal. If you have leftover rice on hand, this dish takes less than 20 minutes to make. It is packed with protein and veggies. It is cheesy and delicious. My super picky 11 year old came back for seconds and didn’t really mind the veggies - that’s a win-win in my dictionary.
Ingredients in Italian Fried Rice:
So the idea here is to make fried rice Italian style. Dried Italian herbs, lots of garlic and crushed peppers gives the necessary Italian flavor to the rice. I added TVP (soy granules) to add protein to the dish. But chickpeas, crumbled tofu or paneer, edamame would be great vegetarian protein options as well.
How to customize the dish?
Veggies can be customized to your family’s liking. Use vegetables that your family loves or you need to use up. It takes less than 30 minutes to put together if you have leftover rice. This is a great quick meal to pack for lunch box.
Here are some of my favorite Fried rice recipes on the blog:
- Paneer Fried Rice
- Vegan Bibimbap Fried Rice
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Schezwan Fried Rice
- Shanghai Fried rice
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 97.
Lets check out what my 
Italian style Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
- 2~3 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Small Green Pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cups Mixed Vegetables (carrot, green beans, green peas, corn, broccoli etc.)
- 1 tsp Dried Italian seasoning
- ½~1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes, adjust as per spice preference
- ½ cup TVP or soy granules, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed*
- To taste Salt
- 3 cups Cooked Rice, I used brown rice
- 5~6 Cheese Slices, I used Amul cheese slices
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan, add the onions, garlic and cook till the onions are lightly browned around the edges, about 4~5 minutes.
- Next add the green pepper, mixed vegetables and season with Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook till the veggies are crisp tender.
- Stir in the drained TVP and cook on medium flame until it starts to crisp around the edges. Season with salt.
- Next add the cooked rice and mix well to combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Lower the flame to medium-low, arrange the cheese slices on top; cover the pan and cook till the cheese is melted and gooey. Serve warm and enjoy!!
Notes
- TVP or soy granules can be subbed with cooked chickpeas or other beans, crumbled tofu or paneer.
Vaishali Sabnani
I like the way you have incorporated protein , the fried rice looks beautifully made and a perfect one pot meal .
Gayathri Kumar
That is a fantastic looking Italian fried rice. The ingredients that go into it sounds amazing and I won't mind finishing off the plate.
Swati
Many times I pack fried rice in my kids' lunchboxes , it's a good idea to add oregano for flavouring, I will have a different variety of rice to pack for them. This is nutritious and flavourful!!
harini
Very interesting version of fried rice, Pavani. I will try this for my kid's lunch boxes.
Priya Srinivasan
Oh yum pavani, those cheese slices on top and perfectly made veggies, this rice is making me hungry!! I m sure going to try this soon!
Renu
This looks so flavourful and the additions of different vegetables is making the dish so healthy. Yum.
Srivalli Jetti
Oh my that one pot meal looks super delicious Pavani. I would love to dig in right now!...missing you in action, catching up on my comments and this is surely bookmarked