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This CHEESY ZUCCHINI RICE is a universal favorite in our house! It’s a great side dish to use up some of your garden zucchini, but the best part is, with all that cheese your kids will love it!
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I’m not sure if this is, like, standard family business or what, but it is nearly impossible to find a vegetable that all four of us like.
If I get it past my kids, the husband doesn’t like it.
If I get it past the husband, my kids don’t like.
And, if I get it past all three of them, I probably don’t like. 😉
Is everyone else’s life like that too?
Two veggies that we all agree on: broccoli and zucchini!
This cheesy zucchini rice was one of the ways I taught my youngest to love zucchini. I just shredded the zucchini up and snuck into cheesy rice and she didn’t find it at all offensive. Win!
(My chocolate zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini cake are also obvious favorites.)
The zucchini just blends in perfectly, and while you can see the green specks, it doesn’t add a whole ton of flavor or texture, which makes it great for picky kids!
Preparing this side dish
The first thing to do is to get your rice cooked. Toast the rice in a bit of oil and then boil in some chicken broth.
The broth adds a great flavor!
Once the rice is done cooking in the broth you’ll add your butter, garlic, cheese, and fresh zucchini.
Cover this and let it sit for a few minutes then it is ready to serve.
The cheese melts, the zucchini softens, the rice is perfect.
This dish is the perfect side for picky kids and hungry parents!
How to handle your leftovers
Cover tightly and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
The zucchini will soften up even more as you recook it, but it also may make the dish a bit more watery than it initially was.
Helpful Tip!
Picky Kids?
Those green flecks can scare off even the toughest kid. Peel the zucchini to help it blend into the rice even more!
How to make with instant rice
Prefer to work with Minute rice? No problem!
Start by cooking the rice according to the package directions.
When adding the rice to the boiling water, add the zucchini as well.
After the rice is fully cooked fluff it with a fork and stir in the cheese, garlic, and butter. Cover this for a minute or two to melt the cheese and then give it a stir.
Cheesy zucchini rice in about 10 minutes!
More recipes with garden fresh ingredients
The Best Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium zucchini shredded
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Splash of milk as needed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn golden.
- Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover.
- Cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and quickly add the butter, grated zucchini, cheddar, and garlic powder.
- Cover and let set for 10 minutes. It's important to cover the rice again quickly to retain some of the steam from cooking.
- Uncover the rice, stir well to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like the rice to have a thinner texture, add a splash of milk.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in June 2012. It was updated with new photos in May 2020.
Amanda says
Any thoughts on using quinoa instead of rice?
Karly says
I think it would work fine!
Kimberly says
Thanks so much for sharing this, I had it pinned for a while and tonight was craving some comfort food so tried it out. Yum! It will be in regular rotation during squash seasons.
Karly says
@Kimberly,
So glad to hear that!
cindy3539 says
I made this today & I thought it was good. I did omit the salt & put in a couple splashes of soy sauce instead & threw in 1/2 a grated onion. Nice way to disguise squash! Thanks.
Sam says
I barely eat rice ever, but this recipe sounded good so I had to try it. Must say it was delicious!
Sharon Ranki says
I’ve made the Cheesy-Zucchini Rice twice now and we just LOVE it? So easy to make too. Thanks for a great recipe.
Karly says
@Sharon Ranki,
Awesome! So glad you like it! 🙂
Meaghan says
I made this tonight, and the hubs and sons were shocked it was from scratch. They were sure I had snuck them a packaged rice dish. It’s absolutely dee-lish! Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to share it soon on my own site www.4sonrus.com !!
Karly says
@Meaghan,
So glad you enjoyed it!
Claudia says
This is absolutely delicious! Thanks so much!
Karly says
@Claudia,
You’re welcome! 🙂
Stacey Lehwald says
This recipe is the bomb! I might have cheated with a minute rice. My daughter and I ate the whole thing!!!!
Karly says
@Stacey Lehwald,
Nothing wrong with cheating! 🙂
Laura says
Do you know if you can make this in advance for a party? Thanks!
Karly says
@Laura,
I would worry that it would get a bit thick and goopy. I haven’t tried it, but I think you could easily add a bit of milk before reheating to get it the right consistency.
Wowguy says
I will skip the reptile part but what a great use for zuchinni
laly says
is this advisable with Indian rice
laly says
thank u for the great recipe
Rachel says
This looks delectable! However, I was wondering how this would work with brown rice instead of white rice. Any thoughts?
Karly says
@Rachel,
Sure! Just cook the brown rice according to package directions and add the cheese and zucchini at the end like I did here.
Dani says
I want to use frozen Zucchini anyone know about how many cups I should use to make the “two small zucchini”?
Karly says
@Dani,
I’d use around a cup, but you really can’t mess this up. More or less zucchini won’t hurt anything. 🙂
Faith says
I used regular brown rice. I cooked it longer (but not as long as I usually cook brown rice) and it was a bit al dente, but it worked fine and was still yummy.