Rice and Grain Recipes & Ideas

Learn the differences between polenta and grits, and how to cook them into creamy porridge or crispy cakes.

Works in your microwave in 15 minutes!

Espresso powder and instant espresso provide nuanced flavors in rich, chocolatey baked goods. Learn the best swaps here.

The miso broth is ingenious.

These are the best ways to keep your brown sugar soft so it's always ready.

The recipe is found in Ina's new cookbook, "Go To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook."

It's easy enough to make on a weeknight, but can be the star of a dinner party.

Keep these in your back pocket for quick meals and sides.

Arroz rojo is as beloved as it is delicious. Pati Jinich tells us all about the dish and how to get it right every time. Plus, the best way to store and reheat it.

It feels fancy, but is surprisingly easy to make.

It's on your table in under an hour.

It's one of the Taiwanese snacks I miss the most.

This ingredient takes these grits over the top.

Here's how to do it.

Wine wine may be a classic addition, but if you don't want to use it you definitely don't have to.

You're going to really love this technique!

This method is foolproof.

If you've ever attempted your favorite Mexican restaurant's rice at home and failed, raise your hand. Well, you can put it down now.

This loaf is packed with mushrooms, nuts, oats, and beans.

These also make for great leftovers.

Barley is one of those wonderful grains that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. With a chewy texture and nutty flavor, barley is a delicious whole grain that can be used in a number of ways, way beyond the classic beef and barley soup. It is also a very nutritious and healthy food, with lots of fiber and a number of trace minerals like selenium, manganese and phosphorus. The most important thing to know about barley is that it comes in two basic forms: hulled and pearl.

A versatile ingredient, its unique flavors and consistency is great in soups, salads, and more.

Polenta makes a luscious bed for anything from quickly sautéed mushrooms to a hearty slow-cooked meat ragu. It also goes well with oven-roasted tomatoes and zucchini. However, somewhere in its past, polenta picked up a reputation for fussiness. I am here to tell you that it is anything but fussy. This weeknight-friendly recipe helps you whip up a pot of creamy polenta in about 30 minutes. I’ll also let you know exactly when to stir it to make sure the sides aren’t drying out.

Risotto is the original 30-minute meal.

It's inspired by the wildly popular Netflix series (and my favorite K-Drama) Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

A reader recently asked about substituting gelatin leaf (called for in one of the recipes) with powdered gelatin, and the thing is, none of us really knew for sure! Hear our thoughts below – care to weigh in?First off, all three of these products are derived from the same source – animal collagen. When heated slowly, collagen in the skin, bones, and connective tissue of an animal breaks down into gelatin, which can then be used to set liquids into jellies.

Transform risotto from simply a bowl of creamy rice to a well-rounded dinner.

Both jasmine and basmati rice are aromatic varieties that make a great alternative to plain long grain white rice. You’ll find these rices commonly used in a variety of Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. Even though jasmine and basmati rice are often used interchangeably, there are some differences between these two types of rice that you should know about. While jasmine and basmati rice are both long grain, they slightly differ in flavor as well as preparation.

More and more of us are discovering what a fantastic ingredient concentrated miso paste can be in our daily cooking – and not just for soup! Happily, many major stores have caught on and are starting to carry a variety of traditional misos to choose from. There are different types of misos and each is made from soybeans that have been fermented with either rice, barley or other grains. The real question is: how to choose?

The rice cooker has always been one of my favorite appliances. We eat steamed rice at least once a week and usually make enough to have leftovers for fried rice. I’m perfectly capable of cooking rice on the stove, but my rice cooker has an easy-to-clean nonstick lining and can keep the rice warm for hours, making it something I can turn on right before I leave the house in the morning. But to be honest, this appliance takes up a lot of space.

The lime vinaigrette is key.

These make a great snack or appetizer — or, if you’re like me, an entire meal.

It's hearty, satisfying, and feeds four for less than $10!

And it's so easy to store!

You can use whatever you have on hand!

A reason to never throw away bacon grease.

Level up this freezer staple by turning it into an entirely new dish.

No more gummy or overcooked rice!

"While the recipe read like it was geared towards newer cooks, I did find they skipped some vital explanations. I was, however, really impressed with the creaminess of the dish, considering nothing creamy or cheesy was added."

Leftover fried rice never had it so good.

And you only need three ingredients!

There are so many ways to use it.

A weeknight-friendly take on the classic dish.

Nourishing, energizing, and endlessly versatile.

A vibrant side dish to pair with just about anything.

A hearty vegetarian dinner that gets an extra boost of savoriness from sun-dried tomato broth.

"Each one I fried cooked into a different shape, much like real flowers. They were so beautiful that I considered not eating them, but I’m glad I did."

And it'll go with whatever you're making for dinner.

It'll be love at first bite.

This version of Bangladeshi biron baath is one of my family's favorite Ramadan foods.

This is peak Instagram content.

There's a lot to know about paprika and all of its varieties.

This Palestinian dish made up of tender lamb, creamy garbanzo beans, aromatics, and a rich stock will be the star of your azoumeh (celebratory feast).

This dish is a showstopper.

Spring veggies are back!

In the world of grains, barley is one of those that I am slowly but surely trying to cook with more. I grew up eating a lot (and I mean, a lot) of rice of all different kinds. Barley, on the other hand, is a grain that I most commonly had in soups and stews, like the classic beef and barley soup. My college food court actually served one every once in a while that I looked forward to on a daily basis!

Our local grocery stores carry a wide variety of flours that are great for all sorts of baking projects. Among the many types of flours available are white all-purpose, white whole-wheat, and regular whole-wheat flour. Regular whole-wheat flour is made from whole wheat grains, also known as kernels, and has a recognizable tan or beige color. White all-purpose flour (aka the kind you’re probably most used to baking with) is made from only part of the wheat grain known as the endosperm.

Loaded with black beans, rice, vegan queso, salsa, and guac.