This saffron green bean rice is a fragrant, vibrant dish that blends earthy vegetables with golden, aromatic rice. It comes from Natlicious Food, and it captures the warmth of home cooking and the joy of seasonal produce. Fresh or frozen green beans are gently cooked with sweet onions and tender peas, then layered into fluffy basmati rice tinted yellow with saffron.

The dish gets its signature character from the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot – an unplanned but welcome char that adds crunch and nostalgia. This simple, one-pot plant-based dish is ideal as a weeknight dinner or a shareable centerpiece. It’s easy to prepare but feels special, thanks to the saffron and slow-cooked layers of flavor.

Read more: One-Pot Curry In A Hurry

Your new favorite rice dish

This recipe is a happy accident, born from a simple trip to the farmer's market, where fresh green beans sparked an immediate craving for saffron rice with crispy fried onions. As I was bringing this vision to life, a slight mishap in the kitchen – a perfectly (un)planned char at the bottom of the rice—transported me straight back to my childhood. It was a familiar fight at the dinner table, a joyful scramble for the 'makokoto' – those coveted, crunchy, golden-brown bits of rice that everyone adored.

No ratings yet

Servings

Ingredients

300 g green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 onion
5-6 saffron stigma
2 tbsp olive oil
150 g basmati rice
Salt and pepper
A pinch of oregano
50 g peas
Crispy fried onions

Instructions

If using fresh green beans, wash them and trim the edges. Then cut them in small pieces.
Cut the onion in small cubes.
Add the saffron stigma in a small bowl, and cover with a bit of warm water, and let it aside.
In a wide pan on a medium heat, add the oil along with the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, rinse and drain the rice 3-4 times, or until the water comes out of it clear.
Then add the green bean pieces into the pan, and sauté them for 2-3 minutes.
Add the rice, season with salt, pepper and oregano and sauté it for a minute before you add the saffron mixture plus 300ml of boiling water.
Lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then uncover and add the peas on top of the rice, cover the pan and let them steam for 2 minutes.
While the peas are cooking, since the rice and all the water has been evaporated, is creating a crispy layer in the bottom – makokoto as we call it in my family.
Turn off the heat, and with a wooden spoon mix the rice, scraping the crispy bits from the bottom and mixing them into the rice.
Serve it with crispy fried onions as a main or serve it with vegan schnitzel and hummus or tofu in a spicy red sauce.