rice casserole with curry sauce and broccoli on top in baking dish

This vegan rice casserole dump dinner features aromatic rice, chickpeas, vegetables and a spicy thai coconut curry sauce. The perfect weeknight dinner thats hearty, packed with flavour and so easy to make!

vegan thai red curry rice in a bowl

I am so excited to share this recipe with you because 1) who doesn’t love thai curry?! And 2) it’s the EASIEST weeknight dinner AKA a dump dinner!

Ummm, what is a dump dinner- you may ask?

A dump-and-bake meal is basically a recipe that requires you to simply dump all the ingredients into a casserole dish and bake until cooked. Pretty neat, eh?

I first saw this concept of dump meals on my Pinterest feed when I first started using Pinterest (I think it was for parmesan chicken and rice) and thought it was so cool but never joined in on the hype until coming up with my no-boil baked pasta dish and realizing how handy these kind of recipes actually are. I mean, these recipes are virtually hands free AND it reduces the amount of dishes!

ingredients for red curry rice in a casserole dish

Ingredients

You only need 10 ingredients to make this dump and bake meal!

The base of this casserole is made from long grain rice and chickpeas. Of course we have to throw in some vegetables so I chose carrots, onion, bell pepper and broccoli but you can really use any of your favourites! Sweet potato, zucchini or cauliflower would all be really great choices too.

The thai red curry sauce is spicy and coconut-y made from red curry paste, coconut milk, vegetable broth (or water), soy sauce and garlic. I used around 3 tbsp of red thai curry paste but you can decrease it to 2 tbsp if you don’t like it too spicy or up it to 4 tbsp if you like things super hot.

How to Make Thai Red Curry Rice Casserole

The best thing about dump dinners is that they’re literally the EASIEST meal to make. Just throw everything into a casserole dish, cover and bake!

I did wait to put in the broccoli towards the end when the rice was just done cooking because I like my broccoli with a little more texture and snap rather than super cooked.

Defiantly make sure that the rice is fully submerged under liquid to ensure it cooks all the way through.

thai red curry rice casserole with broccoli on top

Tips to Making Vegan Rice Casserole

  • Type of Rice: Best to use long grain rice. Short grain and medium grain will also work (jasmine). Do not use brown rice. Quinoa could work but I have not experimented.
  • Cover Dish TIGHTLY With Foil: This ensures the rice ‘boils’ like it would in a rice cooker.
  • Troubleshooting Rice: If you find the rice is still slightly undercooked and there is no more liquid, stir in just enough water so it’s covered in liquid. If you find the rice getting too soggy, take off the foil and it will cook off extra liquid.

How to Store Veggie Rice Casserole

  • Refrigerator: once fully cooled, store left overs in an air tight container covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Freezer: once fully cooled, re-cover with foil and freeze entire casserole for up to 3 months. To re-heat, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
red curry in a bowl with casserole beside it

I hope you guys try and LOVE this Red Curry Rice Dump Meal as much as we do!! It’s seriously a weeknight life saver and left overs can be eaten for lunch the next day (win-win!!). Plus, it’s super satisfying to have especially on a cold winter night because of how hearty and spicy it is. 🙂

vegan rice casserole in a bowl with lime and cilantro

More Vegan Casseroles to Try!

vegan rice casserole in a bowl with broccoli

If you recreate this Thai Red Curry Rice Casserole recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
vegan rice casserole in a bowl with broccoli

Thai Red Curry Rice Casserole


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 11 reviews

Description

This vegan rice casserole dump dinner features aromatic rice, chickpeas, vegetables and a spicy thai coconut curry sauce. The perfect weeknight dinner thats hearty, packed with flavour and so easy to make!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Thai Coconut Red Curry Sauce

Casserole:

  • 1 large carrot, sliced (125g)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced (80g)
  • 1 small bell pepper (90g)
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (250g)
  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped (180g)
  • 1 cup jasmine rice, dry (185g)

To Serve:

  • lime juice
  • cilantro

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
  2. Add all the thai coconut red curry sauce ingredients into a 9×10 inch casserole dish and stir until combined. Then toss in the chopped carrots, onions, bell peppers and chickpeas. Evenly spread the rice on top.
  3. Cover and seal the casserole dish tightly using aluminum foil. Bake casserole for 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. 
  4. Remove the casserole from the oven and scatter broccoli on top. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the broccoli is cooked. 
  5. Remove from the oven and serve with lime juice and cilantro.

Notes

  • Helpful Equipment: 8×11 inch casserole dish
  • Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

pinterest graphic for dump and bake rice casserole recipe

Okonomi Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce consistent content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my plant based kitchen!

Konnichiwa

About Lisa

I'm Lisa, a home cook, recipe developer and founder of Okonomi Kitchen. Here, you'll find a mix of classic and modernized Japanese recipes, and creative, plant-forward meal inspiration using seasonal ingredients. I hope to share more about Japanese cuisine and culture through food and recipes.


Related Recipes


subscribe

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

23 Comments

  1. Delicious! Really flavourful. I had to add additional water and extend cooking by 10 to 15 minutes but worth the wait.

  2. What is the reason not to use brown rice? I was planning to make this recipe, but brown is all I have so I was wondering what it would affect if I use it. Thanks!

  3. I didn’t have red curry paste so I used green, and omitted the salt and soy sauce. After putting everything in the casserole dish I realized I was out of tin foil so I poured it into my cast-iron Dutch oven with lid. It turned out great! I will definitely make this again.






  4. This was excellent. I used jasmine rice as suggested, steamed the broccoli slightly and cooked it for about 5 extra minutes and it was so full of flavour and easy peasy.






  5. I loved how easy it was to make, I didn’t add the broccoli as I didn’t have any, but it was really good. I used 3 tablespoons of the paste and it was very tasty. I thought it would keep for the next night, but already had seconds! X