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+ servings
rice tossed with collard ribbons and leeks
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4.52 from 37 votes

Dirty Rice with Collards and Leeks {vegan and gluten-free}

Dirty rice makes a perfect nutritional side dish. Serve on your holiday table or as a simple supper. Toss in black-eyed peas and it becomes your New Year’s Day hoppin’ John. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brown rice, collards, leeks
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 165kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup long grain brown rice see note
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 bunch collards, stems removed and discarded
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 leek about 1 ½ cups, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise into half-moons
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
  • teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast see note, optional
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a saucepan, bring the 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Add the rice and bay leaf, cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered, 30 to 40 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. (To see if the liquid has been absorbed without stirring, tilt the pan to the side.) Let sit 5 to 10 minutes to cool. Fluff with a fork.
  • While the rice is cooking, prepare the collards: Stack the collard leaves on top of each other, with the leaf tips all at the same end. Roll the stack tightly in a long tube
  • Starting at the thick end, slice the collards as thinly as possible to make spaghetti like strands.
  • In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic.
  • Add a cup of water to the leeks and garlic. Stir in the collard strands and a pinch of salt. Cover the skillet. Cook over medium-heat about 15 minutes, until the collards are just tender. Transfer to a colander and drain well.
  • Dump the drained collards on a cutting board. Chop into pieces less than an inch long.
  • Into the rice stir the collards, pumpkin seeds, soy sauce, cayenne, salt and nutritional yeast, if using. Grind in a generous amount of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Notes

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1516IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg