This rice bowl is perfect for when you’re feeling like something healthy…ish. You can use less butter if you really want, but the recommended two tablespoons combine with the soft cooked tomato to make an almost-sauce that coats the rice perfectly. Also, I used short-grain brown rice, but really you can use any kind of rice you like.

Brown Rice Bowl With Buttery Shrimp, Tomato and Summer Squash

Recipe by Christine Byrne

Serves 2 (but you could easily double this)

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 small summer squash (or 1 large summer squash), sliced into coins 1/4-inch thick
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped in rough 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (freshly cooked or reheated to warm)
parsley, for garnish (if you want)

PROCEDURE
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash coins and spread them out in a single layer over the bottom of the pan (do the best you can, it’s OK if they’re a little crowded). Season with salt and pepper, and let them cook, without stirring or moving them, until the undersides start to blister and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the zucchini and continue to cook to al dente, about 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomato, stir everything together, and cook over medium heat until the zucchini is soft and the tomato is starting to break down, about 2 minutes more.

When the vegetables are cooked, move them to one side of the skillet, so that half of the skillet is empty. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the empty half of the skillet, then add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the underside is opaque and slightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp, season the other side with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked through, 1-2 minutes more.

When the shrimp are cooked, add the warm, cooked brown rice to the skillet. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon so that the vegetables and shrimp are evenly distributed throughout the rice. The tomatoes will break down even further; this is a good thing and will make your rice taste delicious.

To serve, divide between two bowls. Garnish with parsley, if you want.