It doesn’t matter how much you love to cook, sometimes you just don’t want to cook. I’ve been there, especially after a long day of testing recipes in the Budget Bytes kitchen. So on those days, I make this utterly satisfying, earthy, vibrant, Everything Bagel Rice Bowl. It’s no fuss, no muss, and so ridiculously yummy I made it every night for a week straight!
What Is Everything Bagel Seasoning?
Sometimes called Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, this is the spice mix you find on top of an Everything Bagel. It’s a punchy blend of onion flakes, garlic flakes, white and black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and flaky salt. It instantly adds deep flavors and a beautiful pop of texture to anything it touches. It became really popular when Trader Joe’s started selling their version.
What You’ll Need
- Everything Bagel Seasoning – a few dashes of this magic and you have all the flavors you need to make your rice bowl sing.
- Rice – because it’s not a rice bowl without it. Any kind of rice will do. You can also sub with cauliflower rice. Just follow the cooking directions on the package.
- Spinach – is an easy and economical way to add greens. To lower the cost even more, use 6 ounces of frozen spinach. You can also use kale, swiss chard, or mustard greens.
- Onions and Garlic– these aromatics flavor the spinach. If you don’t feel like chopping, leave them out or add one teaspoon of Everything Bagel Seasoning to the butter.
- Butter – You need a flavorful fat to cook spinach and eggs in, but you can, of course, sub with olive oil, your favorite cooking oil, or (my fave) bacon or chicken drippings.
- Eggs – “put an egg on it” is our ethos for a reason. Eggs cook in minutes and create a natural savory sauce. You don’t have to use an egg, but the rice will be dry without it.
How To Make Everything Bagel Seasoning
You can buy Everything Bagel Seasoning for a good price at most big-name supermarkets and get loads of uses out of it. But in case you can’t access it, here’s a quick recipe for about half a cup of seasoning:
- 2 Tablespoons onion flakes
- 2 Tablespoons garlic flakes
- 2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1 Tablespoon sea flaky salt
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
How To Cook Rice
If there’s one thing you need to know when making a rice bowl, it’s how to cook rice. Beth has a great in-depth tutorial here, but in case you don’t want to leave the page here’s a refresher:
Know the type of rice you’re cooking. The ratio of rice to liquid changes with the kind of rice you use, as does the time it cooks. I use less water in my rice than Beth does. It makes for a toothier, looser grain. If you prefer softer rice, increase the liquid by a half cup.
- Short Grain Rice: 1 cup rice – 1 cup liquid – cook 18 minutes
- Medium & Long Grain Rice: 1 cup rice – 1 1/3 cups liquid – cook 15 minutes
- Brown rice: Boil it like pasta (in lots of water until al dente ) for 30 minutes, strain all of the water out, cover the pot, and let the rice rest in it for 10 minutes
Wash the rice. Cleaning the grains under cool running water until the water runs clear eliminates the starches that give you a gloppy result.
Bring the water to a boil before you add it to the rice. It keeps your timing on point.
Low and slow is the way. When the rice comes to a boil, lower the heat. Making rice at a boil makes the grains burst, leaving you with a starchy mess.
Keep it covered. Lifting the lid releases steam, increasing cooking time and ruining the texture. Once the rice is done, rest it for 10 minutes before uncovering it.
What Else Can I Put On Everything Bagel Rice?
Truly, the sky is the limit. Roasted or sauteed vegetables are always a great choice, especially quick-cooking ones. Try chopped peppers, mushrooms, blistered tomatoes, or creamy avocado. If you’re a meat eater, try rotisserie chicken, bacon crumbles, or savory ground beef.
How To Store Leftovers
You can refrigerate this rice bowl for up to 4 days, though I would make the eggs fresh every time. To reheat it, sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon water, and microwave it until it’s steaming. You can also freeze it in an air-tight container (again, without the eggs) for up to 3 months.
Everything Bagel Rice Bowl
Servings 2 bowlsIngredients
- 1 1/3 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear ($0.30)
- 5 Tbsp salted butter, divided ($0.75)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 yellow onion, small dice ($0.41)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.24)
- 8 oz fresh spinach* ($1.30)
- 2 large eggs ($0.92)
- 1 tsp Everything Bagel seasoning plus more for garnish ($0.16)
Instructions
- Put the water in a pot large enough to hold the rice (it doubles in size as it cooks). Cover it and bring to a boil. When the water's boiling, add the rinsed rice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir to incorporate.
- Bring the water to a simmer with the pot uncovered. When steam vents begin to form on the surface, about 3 minutes, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Rest it off the heat for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid.
- While the rice cooks, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan set over medium heat. When the dairy solids turn golden brown, add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the spinach to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sauté until it has wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Smooth the surface of the spinach and make two indentations with a large spoon. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and then add them to the indentations. Cook, uncovered, until the egg whites become opaque, about 3 minutes.
- Fluff up the rice. Dice the last tablespoon of butter. Add it to the rice along with the everything bagel seasoning and mix it in.
- Plate the rice in 2 bowls. Top each bowl of rice with spinach and an egg. Garnish with an additional sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Everything bagel Rice Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Measure 1 1/3 cups of water and put it in a pot large enough to hold the rice (remember the rice doubles in size as it cooks). Cover the pot, and bring the water to a full boil. Then add the rinsed cup of rice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot.
Keep the rice uncovered while you bring the water back up to a simmer, about 3 minutes. When steam vents begin to form on the surface, reduce the heat to low. Cover the rice with a heavy, well-fitting lid. Cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Rest the rice off the heat for ten minutes before removing the lid.
While the rice cooks, add 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium-sized pan set over medium heat. Allow it to melt and foam. When it turns golden brown and smells nutty, add one diced onion. Sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add two cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Divide the rice between 2 bowls. Top each bowl of rice with spinach and an egg. Garnish with an additional sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning. Now all that’s left to do is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the hearty meal you just prepared in no time!
I found this had a bit too much salt and butter, there is salt in the everything seasoning so I think I will omit extra salt in the future. I also felt my onions and garlic cooked too quickly and despite making my indentation for the egg, it still settled on the top of the spinach and wasn’t cooking while my onions and garlic continued to over cook. I ended up flipping the whole thing so the egg whites could cook. I might try this again with quinoa instead of rice and maybe just fry an egg on the side. I agree very versatile but too salty, which is why I didn’t give it full five stars.
This has quickly become my go to whenever I am in the «too tired to cook, really, but I still want something nutrious» mood. I have also have great sucsess using the same method with bags of pre-chopped broccoli (usually broccoli salad kits found in the discount bin) or adding soy sauce to my greens instead.
Thank you for your recipies Monti, I hope you’ll stay for a long time.
So easy, filling, and flavorful! I made this even easier by using frozen chopped onion and frozen chopped spinach.
I have made this several times and it has always been delicious! The caramelized onions and spinach and runny yolk together with the seasoned rice just makes a perfect bite.
This was really good! It’s a really versatile foundation for a dish that you can customize in a number of ways. We served it with grilled chicken for extra protein but I could also see including chopped mushrooms in the spinach for different flavor and texture. I agree with other comments that an entire onion was a bit much and I would probably dial it back to just a half next time.
All in all, it’s an excellent weeknight meal for something healthy and delicious.
Easy with frozen spinach, good recipe!
One of the great things about this rice bowl is that it’s easy to customize to your liking. You can add in other ingredients like edamame, radish, or carrots to make it even more nutritious and flavorful. And if you’re looking for a vegetarian option, you can substitute the smoked salmon with tofu or tempeh.
I made this quick lunch even quicker by using a pouch of microwavable rice. It was super yummy and felt nutritious and balanced. I only used half an onion as I felt that a whole onion might have been overwhelming for 2 servings.
I’ve been making rice the wrong way my whole life?? I will have to try the boil and let sit method for brown rice.
This will be lunch today! Thank you
I made this for breakfast this morning, but used cal-rose rice. I also used less butter although the amount recommended in the recipe would have been delicious. It was very tasty and I will enjoy making it again.