10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf (try adding cooked chicken too!)

Meal Planning has been huge in my weight loss journey. This 10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf has got to be my favorite dish of all to meal plan with. Sometimes I add chicken, sometimes I don’t. Either way, it’s delicious, healthy, and super simple!

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf

I’m all about quick & easy dishes. Time is something that I never can seem to get enough of. EVER!

As a widow with 3 kids that I homeschool, I feel like I’m always going, going going… but without the battery that the Energizer bunny has (haha). When the day is over and it’s time to cook dinner for my family, I’m usually utterly exhausted. Obviously, ordering pizza and Chinese every night is not the best option for my wallet or my health. And lunch? Who has time to eat something healthy for lunch… if there’s time for lunch at all? I think we’ve all been there!

I had gained a lot of weight due to unhealthy ‘fast’ options and it was time to make a change. So, back in January – I decided it was time for a change.  I started being a little more creative in the kitchen when it came to healthy and fast dishes – trying my very best to come up with some easy options that didn’t break the bank & that were good for me.

This 10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf ended up being one of my very favorite dishes of all.

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf

It has been so huge in my meal planning during my weight loss journey. Sometimes I make it as a side dish or a meatless main dish. And, sometimes I grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred off a couple cups of it – then stir it into the asparagus rice pilaf mixture.

Either way, it’s absolutely delicious!

I have lost 40 pounds since January 1st and meal-planning has been a big part in that. I precook my meals at the beginning of the week, put them in the fridge – and I don’t have to think at meal time. I have made this recipe nearly every single week since then… and haven’t once gotten tired of it. I make a large batch on Sunday and separate it into divided dishes for easy reheating throughout the week. Sometimes I add a little chicken, sometimes I don’t. It reheats so well. It’s like the flavors seriously get better.

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf in a divided dish

Spoiler Alert – there’s a HUGE giveaway at the bottom of this post!

I love when I’m able to use my fresh Michigan Asparagus with this dish. It’s the most tender I’ve ever come across. I’m pretty sure it has to have something to do with being hand harvested. At least, in my mind it does. I love when things are done more old fashioned so, having something done by hand is surely going to taste better than it does when it’s completed by something other than a living, breathing person. That’s when you know it’s done with love to me. At least, that’s the way I see it. 🙂

 

This year’s Michigan Asparagus season is delayed due to unseasonably cold temperatures in April – but that just means that the asparagus season will continue on into June this year!

A little tidbit of info if you didn’t know (like my rhyme? haha). Asparagus is a “Clean 15” food, meaning it has a low pesticide load and is one of the safest conventionally grown crops to consume… so you don’t have to even worry about buying it organically.

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf

SCROLL DOWN BELOW THE RECIPE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus woody ends trimmed & discarded - sliced into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms optional - leave out if you don't like mushrooms
  • 3-4 cloves fresh minced garlic OR garlic powder to taste
  • 1 8.8 oz bag whole grain ready rice precooked rice in bags in the rice section
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth.
  • 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to coat pan
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the pain, 2-3 tablespoons. Sauté the asparagus for a couple minutes on medium-high heat. Add the onions & mushrooms (if using). Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until all the veggies are as tender as you like. If you like your veggies super tender, this may be a 15 minute rice pilaf. 🙂
  • Stir in the garlic, ready rice, chicken broth, salt & pepper. Cook over high heat for another minute or two. Serve.

I think you’ll love Michigan Asparagus as much as I do – just give them a try! You can connect with them so easily too! First, there’s their website you can reach by clicking here – and I’ve linked all their social media channels below for your convenience. Make sure you enter the giveaway right after!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Huge thanks going out to Michigan Asparagus for sponsoring this post & recipe creation.  All opinions & general ramblings are (as always) my very own. 

I have shared this recipe with my friends at Meal Plan Monday!

10 Minute Asparagus Rice Pilaf