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Vegetarian, Classics and bistro fare

Vegetable blanquette with rice

Vegetable blanquette with rice is a vegetarian dish for 4 people, ready in 50 minutes, rated easy, at about €2.00 per person. Carrots, mushrooms, leeks and turnips simmer in a white sauce thickened with egg yolk and brightened with lemon, served over rice. The key is adding the egg yolk off the heat, never while the sauce is boiling.

A meatless blanquette with carrots, mushrooms, leeks and turnips in a lemony white sauce, served with rice.

Vegetable blanquette with rice
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.00
Calories per person
570 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Vegetable blanquette with rice takes the spirit of the classic French stew and leaves out the meat. Carrots, turnips, leeks and mushrooms simmer gently in a white sauce built from a butter and flour base, then enriched with cream and egg yolk. A splash of lemon at the end lifts the whole dish so it never feels heavy. The rice soaks up the sauce and rounds out the plate without competing with it.

It's a weeknight dish that feels substantial without needing constant attention, ideal for a cold autumn or winter evening when you want a warm, meatless dinner. Kids usually take to it thanks to its soft texture and mild flavor. Mon Chou also turns to it on days when you want to use up the vegetable drawer without giving up the comfort of a slow simmered dish.

The ingredients

4 people

Fruits and vegetables

  • Carrots 4
  • White mushrooms 300 g
  • Leeks 2
  • Turnips 3
  • Onion 1
  • Lemon 1

Dairy

  • Butter 40 g
  • Heavy cream 10 cl
  • Eggs 2

Pantry

  • Flouroften in the pantry 40 g
  • Vegetable brothoften in the pantry 60 cl
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Lactose, Gluten, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Peel the carrots and turnips, cut them into chunks, then thinly slice the leeks and mushrooms.

    Keep the pieces about the same size so they cook evenly together.

  2. Melt the butter, add the onion, carrots and turnips, then dust with flour. 5 min

    Stir for a minute to cook the flour, or the sauce will taste raw.

  3. Pour in the hot broth, add the leeks and mushrooms, then let it simmer. 25 min

    Pour the broth in gradually while stirring to avoid lumps.

  4. Meanwhile, cook the rice in boiling salted water and drain it. 11 min

    Taste a grain to check it's cooked through.

  5. Whisk the cream and egg yolks together, pour into the blanquette off the heat with the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.

    Stir a little hot sauce into the egg mixture first before combining everything, so it won't curdle.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the vegetables into similarly sized pieces so they all finish cooking at the same time, with no undercooked carrots or mushy turnips.
  • If the sauce looks too thick at the end, thin it with a little hot broth rather than water, so you don't dilute the flavor.
  • Mix the cream and egg yolks right before stirring them in, since this liaison shouldn't sit at room temperature for long.

The variations

  • Swap the turnips for parsnip or celery root for a milder, slightly sweet flavor.
  • For an egg free version, thicken the sauce with cream and a bit more flour alone, the result is less silky but still good.
  • For a quicker kid friendly meal, serve the blanquette over small pasta shapes instead of rice, they hold the sauce well.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with vinaigrette
  • Crusty bread for the sauce
  • Sparkling water with lemon

Storage

The blanquette keeps for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container, ideally stored separately from the rice. It freezes well without the egg yolk, which you should add fresh when reheating a portion of the sauce. Reheat gently over low heat while stirring, without letting it boil, so the sauce doesn't curdle.

Questions about this dish

Can you make vegetable blanquette ahead of time?

Yes, prepare the vegetable base with the broth ahead of time, and save the cream and egg yolk liaison for serving time. Gently reheat the base before whisking in the liaison off the heat.

Can you freeze vegetable blanquette?

The vegetable base freezes well, but not with the egg yolk liaison, which doesn't hold up to freezing. Add fresh cream and egg yolk when you reheat it.

What can replace white mushrooms?

Seasonal mushrooms like oyster mushrooms, or pre sliced frozen mushrooms, work well here. Just adjust the cooking time, since frozen mushrooms release more water.

Why add the egg yolk off the heat?

Egg yolk cooks and clumps as soon as it hits a liquid that's too hot, which would turn the sauce grainy like scrambled eggs. Adding it off the heat, after first warming it with a bit of the hot sauce, keeps the texture smooth.

How long does it take to make a vegetable blanquette with rice?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a vegetable blanquette with rice?

About 570 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a vegetable blanquette with rice cost?

About €2.00 per serving, or €8.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose, gluten, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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