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To be honest, this simple carrot, spinach and rice stew was a complete surprise—easy and deliciously satisfying—with just 5 ingredients that you simmer together until thick and mushy. The recipe is from Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times (affiliate link), a wonderful cookbook my sister picked up at Goodwill for $1.50 and I quickly absconded with the last time I visited her.
In his headnote, Mark describes this as a “stew of carrots, spinach, and rice you cook to death.” I feel like the long cooking gives this thick stew the consistency of porridge. (In my opinion, a good thing.)
I almost wrote about this simple quick and easy vegetarian stew from Mark Bittman for last Friday’s 38 Power foods group on spinach, but opted instead for a crustless spinach and feta quiche, (which was also easy and delicious.)
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Vegetarian Carrot Spinach and Rice Stew?
This carrot, spinach, and rice stew is definitely Weight Watchers friendly. According to my calculations, each serving has about 201 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
6 SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
To lighten it even further, you could use less butter or leave it out altogether. The only real change I made to the recipe, was adding a little fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten it up a bit, which is totally optional.
Rod and I both gave it two thumbs up, happily eating up the whole batch in a couple of days. Simply satisfying healthy comfort food!
If you like this Simple Vegetarian Stew, you might also like these WW Friendly vegetarian recipes WW Friendly Ratatouille, Citrus Couscous Salad, Quinoa and Black Bean Southwest Skillet, 5-Ingredient Asparagus Minestrone Soup and Slow Cooked Lentil Chili
If you’ve made this low fat Vegetable Rice Stew with carrots and spinach, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Carrot, Spinach, and Rice Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3/4 cup long-grain rice, preferably brown basmati (uncooked)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the carrots and 4 cups water placed over high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice and a large pinch of salt. When the mixture returns to a boil, add the chopped spinach, and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice and carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes. (The mixture will become like a thick porridge or stew.)
- Once the mixture becomes thick and “stew-like” stir in the garlic and butter and cook another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 6 SmartPoints (Green plan) 6 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 3 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) To lighten it even further, you could use less butter or leave it out altogether. The only real change I made to the recipe, was adding a little fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten it up a bit, which is totally optional.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy Healthy Weight Watchers Soup and Stew Recipes
- Instant Pot Wild Rice and Vegetable Stew
- Simple Garden Vegetable Soup
- Jamie Oliver Vegetable Soup with Beans
- Healthy Tuscan White Bean and Vegetable Soup
- Vegetarian Friendly Chickpea Lentil Soup
- Simple Chunky Tomato Soup
Good recipe! And I like that it didn’t require high sodium. But how much is a serving for those of us who are counting Points Plus or calories? 1 cup? 1 1/2 cup?
Is the rice cooked or uncooked?
Tara, it’s uncooked. I’ve updated the recipe to be more specific.
Sounds wonderful and so simple! I love Bittman for stuff like that. I may have to make this but in the slow cooker – I bet that would be awesome 🙂