Spinach Artichoke Rice with Hot Honey Tofu is the perfect weeknight dinner! The rice comes together in one pot with lots of fresh greens and tender artichoke hearts while the tofu soaks up all the flavor from a spicy honey lemon marinade. No pressing—just pan-fry until crisp and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Rice
I’ve been making variations of this rice recipe for years. It’s kind of a cheater’s way of getting all my greens for the day—I mean you would never guess that there’s four whole cups of spinach in there! Toasting the rice in olive oil makes this dish extra special and a high-quality jar of marinated artichoke hearts really makes a huge difference in flavor.
To make Spinach Artichoke Rice, start by sautéing scallions and garlic in a bit of olive oil. I recommend having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking to make the process even simpler. Once the aromatics are caramelized, add basmati rice and allow it to toast for a few minutes. This is going to bring a delicious nutty flavor to the dish.
Next, pour in your stock. I use low-sodium chicken stock, but vegetable stock will work just as well if you want to make this recipe vegetarian. Add in your spinach, artichoke hearts and salt. Bring everything up to a boil and allow the spinach to wilt down. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and turn down the heat as low as it will go. Let the rice cook for about 15 minutes (no peaking!) then turn off the heat.
The rice will continue to absorb moisture even when it’s off the heat, so I like to keep the lid on for an additional 10 minutes or so. This gives you just the right amount of time to pan-fry your tofu!
Let’s Talk About Tofu…
Lots of recipes will tell you that you need to press and marinate your tofu overnight, but this method is a lot quicker and just as flavorful. Simply cut a block of extra-firm tofu (not firm or silken) into slabs and gently press each one dry using a few paper towels.
Whisk together a marinade of honey, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, red pepper flakes and a bit of white miso paste for an extra umami punch. Place the tofu slabs in a shallow dish and pour the marinade on top. I like to let the tofu marinate on the counter while I cook the Spinach Artichoke Rice.
While the rice is cooking, pan-fry the tofu. My trick for extra crispy tofu is coating each piece in a thin layer of cornstarch before adding it to the pan. This makes it super crunchy on the outside, but still soft and creamy on the inside.
The easiest way to do this is by spreading a few tablespoons of cornstarch out on a plate and dropping the tofu pieces in so both sides get coated. Remember to reserve the remaining marinade!
To pan-fry, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. Place the tofu slabs in an even layer and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until brown and crispy. The nice thing about tofu is that it won’t go tough and chewy like meat when over cooked, so just worry about the color on the outside.
In the last minute or so of cooking, pour in the remaining marinade and let it sizzle around the tofu. The sugars in the honey will caramelize and thicken, turning into a sweet glaze. I love a sweet and savory flavor combo, so I like to add another drizzle of honey to the cooked tofu before serving.
To serve, fluff the spinach artichoke rice with a fork, add in some fresh chopped dill, lemon zest and top with crispy pieces of hot honey tofu. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to really make those flavors pop and enjoy!
More Weeknight Recipes
- Chickpea and Dumpling Soup
- Baked Rice Puttanesca with Basil Aioli
- Harissa Meatballs with Fregola and Lemony Yogurt
- Lemon Risotto with Herb Roasted Chickpea
Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Spinach Artichoke Rice with Hot Honey Tofu
Spinach Artichoke Rice with Hot Honey Tofu is the perfect vegan weeknight dinner! The rice comes together in one pot with lots of fresh greens and tender artichoke hearts while the tofu soaks up all the flavor from a spicy honey lemon marinade. No pressing—just pan-fry until crisp and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Ingredients
Hot Honey Tofu
- 1 (14 oz) block extra firm tofu, drained
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for pan-frying
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp honey, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- Cornstarch for dredging
Spinach Artichoke Rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 scallions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- Zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Start by cutting the tofu block lengthwise into about 6 slabs. Lay each one down on a few sheets of paper towel and blot dry.
- In a wide container, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, miso, dried thyme and red pepper flakes. Add the tofu slabs, turning over each one so it gets coated by the marinade. Set aside while you make the spinach artichoke rice.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and basmati rice. Toast for another 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the chicken/vegetable stock, spinach, artichoke hearts and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently so the spinach wilts down. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes then turn off the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes before stirring in the dill and lemon zest.
- While the rice cooks, pan-fry the tofu. Cover the surface of a plate with cornstarch and turn over each tofu slab so it’s coated on both sides.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. In the last minute of cooking, pour over the remaining marinade. Serve immediately over a bowl of spinach artichoke rice with a drizzle of honey and more crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1/4 recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 242Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 800mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 7g
All nutritional info is an estimation
You mention miso in the directions but there isn’t any in the ingredients list. How much and what time of miso do you recommend?
Wow! Yum! This rice looks incredible. Definitely going to make.
Yes a million times. The rice by itself was amazing! I love artichoke and need to find more recipes that include it. This checked all the boxes.
I really enjoyed this, especially the CRISPY sweet & spicy tofu. I’m newer to cooking tofu regularly so the cornstarch meathead may not be new to the scene, but for me it was a game changer. I Tweaked: used Mike’s hot honey, and added toasted pine nuts. Next Time: I’ll reduce the rice liquid just a tad, as my rice was a little more gummy/over cooked than I like. Double the marinade, it is sooo yummy drizzled on top the finished dish. I might also try added pepper flake in addition to hot honey for more heat, maybe a little feta, and adding beans for additional protein. This recipe will be in my new rotation, and I’m snagging this tofu crisping method for other recipes 🙂
Thank you so much for your review, Kristina! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
This was ridiculously good! I would have never thought to make rice this way and would have just put the veggies in after the rice was cooked- such a game changer!