Lockdown Cookup: Stay Healthy at Home with Ludovic Lefebvre’s Cheesy One-Pot Vegetable Rice

PUBLISHED May 20th, 2020 04:00 am

Lockdown stress may have led to many of us seeking solace in our beloved greasy comfort food, which does wonders for our soul but might not be so great for  our health. Take a break from processed junk with world-renowned Chef Ludo’s One-Pot Vegetable Rice that is equal parts healthy and indulgent.

Ludovic “Ludo” Lefebvre wears many hats: he’s a restaurateur, pop-up impresario, author and television personality. A true protege of the world’s best, including Pierre Gagnaire, Ludo made his mark in the LA dining scene with his revolutionary pop-up style restaurant, LudoBites. Since then, he has been making culinary waves with a string of critically acclaimed restaurants like Trois Mec and Petit Trois. While he typically whips up French fare with an international touch, this dish laced with nutty notes of Comté cheese, a touch inspired by veggie visionary Alain Passard.

Ingredients ( for 4 servings)

1 cup of rice

1 onion/ ½ cup of onion diced

½ cup of asparagus

½ cup of fennel

½ cup of celery

1 cup of spinach

Olive oil (to taste)

Comté cheese (to taste)

Method

Step 1: Sweat onions in olive oil for about 2 minutes until translucent.

Step 2: Bring water to a boil and then add rice. Half-cook rice. This may take about 5 to 6 minutes.

Step 3: Add asparagus, fennel, celery branch and sauté for 5 minutes (add water if it becomes too dry).

Step 4: Add spinach and sautée for 3 minutes or until lightly cooked.

Step 5: Add a splash of olive oil (to taste).

Step 6: Sprinkle in comté cheese and stir till well combined.

Here’s the original recipe as shared on his Instagram page:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Last night’s dinner inspired by @alain_passard – a healthy vegetable heavy rice one pot dish. 1st: sweat onions in olive oil 2nd: add rice & water – half cook rice 3rd: add asparagus, fennel, celery branch and sauté for 5 minutes (add water if becomes too dry) 4th: add spinach and sautéed for 3 minutes or until lightly cooked 5th: add some olive oil (to taste) 6th: add comté cheese (amount is purely your taste) 7th: serve to your children who will appreciate the bowl of vegetables for dinner 8th: dish soap revealed- not approved or tested for anything/anyone other than my family. Wash your vegetables at your own risk. 🤪 PS there will always be butter in my mise en place. Last night I decided not to use. #dinnerfor4 #quarantinechef #healthyeating #eatyourveggies

A post shared by Ludovic Lefebvre (@chefludo) on Mar 28, 2020 at 10:01am PDT