40+ Easy Dinners That Start with Rice
Rice is such an easy-to-make, easy-to-store, and easy-to-use kitchen staple that it can feel indispensable. We bet you’d be hard-pressed to find a kitchen where there isn’t at least one kind of rice stocked in the pantry. You can cook rice on the stove, or in a rice cooker. We even tested a variety of cooking methods and found that (gasp!), even the microwave works. Rice is wonderful for meal prep and for stretching leftovers and proteins into a complete meal.
Come mealtime, more often than not, it plays a supporting role. But why not try making a rice dish the star of the show? Here are more than 40 rice dishes that lift rice from its side-dish status and bring it to the center of the plate. We have ideas from casseroles and grain bowls to soups and stir-fries. So the next time you’re looking at a bag of rice in your pantry, wondering if you can turn it into dinner, pick one of these recipes and get cooking!
Simple Rice Recipes
For those times you need a simple meal that comes together with just a few ingredients, a single pot, not too much time on the clock, or barely any effort, these are the recipes that deliver.
Fried Rice Recipes
Anytime you find yourself with leftover rice, fried rice is always a good idea. And there are so many different ways to pull this meal together. These are a few of our favorites.
Rice Recipes with Chicken
Chicken and rice are natural partners. From soup to skillet dinners to hearty, family-friendly classics, here’s a little bit of everything.
Vegetarian Rice Recipes
From one-bowl meals to veggie burgers and risotto to soup, there’s no shortage of ways to make rice the star of a wholesome meat-free meal.
Rice Casseroles
Whether you’re looking to use up a lot of rice or make a big-batch meal to feed the whole table, go for a casserole.