Colombian Rice with Vegetables (Arroz sin Pollo)

This recipe for Colombian Rice with Vegetables is inspired by the world-famous dish Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken). But then, of course, without the chicken (arroz sin pollo, so to speak). It is packed with vegetables and legumes to make a comforting and healthy lunch or dinner. The recipe is vegan.

Haz clic en Arroz con Verduras (Arroz sin Pollo) para la receta en español. 

Arroz con pollo

Although I call arroz con pollo Colombian, many Latinamerican countries have their version of this dish. The similarities with Spanish paella might give some clues about the origin of the plate. Traditional Colombian arroz con pollo contains rice, chicken, and different vegetables like peas, carrots, red pepper, and green beans.  It gets its red color from a tomato-and-onion sauce called hogao (guiso), and a spice mix.

Colombian Rice with Vegetables (Arroz sin Pollo)

This vegetarian version of arroz con pollo is a complete and satisfying meal, filled with vegetables and legumes. This rice dish contains peas, green beans, carrots, and red pepper like the traditional dish, with the addition of chickpeas for some plant-based protein. Flavor and color are added because of the use of hogao, which is a tomato-onion sauce, and a spice mix.

Ingredients

Hogao Hogao is a Colombian cooked tomato-scallion sauce spiced with cumin, salt, and pepper 

Potato chips Arroz con Pollo is usually served with potato chips or with fries. The chips give a nice crunch and they make this a popular dish for children (and for adults, chips for dinner, yay)

Spices In Colombia spice mixes are available like “condimento completo”, or “sazona rey”. You can replace the ready-made spice mix by adding paprika powder, cumin powder, and turmeric powder to the dish. 

Instructions

1. Cook white rice. 2. Boil vegetables: carrot, green beans, green peas. 3. Cook red pepper with chickpeas and the spices mix until soft. Add to the cooked rice, together with the rest of the vegetables, the hogao, and some tomato ketchup. 4. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper. 

How to serve

How to plate this dish is of the utmost importance. In Colombia, they use a little bowl to make a beautiful dome (or montaña as many Colombians would call it) of the arroz, as seen in the pictures. Besides that, you serve it with tomato ketchup and fries or potato chips. You can use normal potato chips or little matchstick potato chips.  Optional additions are cilantro or a fried egg with a soft yolk that you can mix through the rice. These last additions are not so traditional, but hey, neither is an arroz con pollo without chicken.

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Arroz Con Leche Colombiano (Rice Pudding)

I took the inspiration for this recipe from Carlos Gaviria Arbeláez’ book “Técnicas profesionales de cocina colombiana”.

Colombian Rice with Vegetables (Arroz sin Pollo)

This Colombian Rice with Vegetables is a vegetarian version of the Colombian arroz con pollo, and is packed with vegetables and legumes to make a comforting and healthy lunch or dinner.

4.75 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Colombian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 250 grams white rice
• vegetable oil
• 160 grams carrot, diced in small cubes, pre-boiled (about 1 carrot)
• 120 grams green beans, cut into small pieces, pre-boiled (about 1 big handful)
• 150 grams green peas, pre-boiled
• 150 grams red pepper, diced in small cubes (about 1 pepper)
• 200 grams chickpeas, ready to use (can be canned or freshly cooked)
• 1 recipe hogao (tomato onion sauce) (see link in blog post or below)
• 2-3 tsp spice mix "Completo" or "Sazonarey" (see notes for replacement; use V/GF if necessary)
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup (use V/GF if necessary)
• salt and pepper

Serve with

• tomato ketchup
• fries or potato chips (regular potato chips or matchstick chips)

Instructions

 

• Cook rice according to instructions
• Prepare the hogao according to instructions
• Place the preboiled carrot cubes, diced green beans, and peas aside in a big pot
• Cook red pepper in vegetable oil until soft. Add the chickpeas, complete seasoning, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking for 2 more minutes until the mixture is fragrant
• Add the red pepper and chickpea mixture to the pre-boiled vegetables. Add rice, tomato ketchup, and hogao and mix well. Warm up the rice if necessary.

  If you have a very liquid hogao, you might not need to add the whole amount. Adjust, so the hogao binds the rice mixture but does not make it overly wet
• Taste and adjust seasoning
• Serve the rice with vegetables making little domes or mountains, using a bowl or a cup. Serve with fries or potato chips, and tomato ketchup

Notes

About the vegetables: the carrot, green beans and peas need to be preboiled, in a way that they are ready to eat. 

In Colombia spice mixes are available like "condimento completo", or "sazona rey". In other countries in Latin American supermarkets they might be available as well. If not, you can replace the ready made spice mix by adding paprika powder, cumin powder, and turmeric powder to the dish. You might need to add more salt and pepper, because the ready made spice mixes tend to add a lot of salt and flavor. 

Keyword gluten-free, main course, rice, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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