Healthy Rice Recipes

Ever wondered how to cook brown rice quickly and easily? Cook it in your Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker)! This Instant Pot brown rice recipe is as basic as it gets. Cooking brown rice in an Instant Pot is easy, and you get the same toothsome texture and nutty flavor you get by cooking it on your stove--without the fuss.

Tender, tangy, spicy, sweet--these slow-cooker meatballs might become your new go-to dish. They cook in the crock pot for only about an hour and a half, so they're a great dinner solution on days when you don't have much time for dinner prep. Consider wearing gloves when shaping the meatballs to make cleanup a cinch.

Ropa Vieja is a Cuban dish of meat, peppers and onions. Literally translated it means "old clothes," a reference to the colorful pieces of red and yellow peppers and tomatoes in the dish. Garnish this slow-cooker Ropa Vieja with additional fresh oregano leaves, if desired.

You can fully indulge in the sticky-sweetness this slow-cooker chicken dish offers when you know that calories, saturated fat, carbs and sugar are in check.

Mole sauce is a Mexican condiment primarily composed of fruit, chile pepper, nuts and spices. In our rendition, these ingredients take the form of raisins and tomatoes; ancho chiles; smoked almonds; and cocoa, cumin and cinnamon. The rich mixture coats the browned chicken thighs in the slow cooker, and doubles as a topping on the final dish. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

A bowl of tender shredded chicken, hot cooked rice and slightly spicy black beans served with fresh toppings is a meal that will satisfy anytime. Make this slow-cooker chicken dish on the weekend and reheat throughout the week for easy at-work lunches or dinner at the end of a long day. For a variation, swap the brown rice for a grain medley.

For a quick version of stuffed grape leaves, we've put all the flavors of a traditional dolma recipe into a cooked filling that's simply wrapped in blanched kale leaves--no need to simmer for hours.

This hearty coconut curry is warm and comforting, thanks to tender sweet potatoes and a hint of spice. This easy curry recipe can be on the table in less than an hour.

Get creative and try many variations of this slow-cooker pilaf recipe. Sub dried cranberries, blueberries or apricots for the cherries--or use them all. Just be sure to use a dried fruit. You can also swap the hazelnuts for pecans, if desired.

This delicious dump-and-go, Indian-inspired curry comes together in a snap. The rich tomato sauce nicely coats the vegetables and slow-cooker shrimp, and the garam masala (Indian curry seasoning) and paprika amp up the spice. Serve this one-dish meal with naan, crushed red pepper flakes and thinly slice the lemon wedges, if desired.

Paella is an iconic Spanish dish made with rice, seasonings and various meats or seafood, depending on the paella type. Our slow-cooker paella recipe features shrimp, brown rice, turmeric, a host of vegetables and Spanish chorizo--not to be confused with Mexican chorizo, which isn't dried or cured like the Spanish variety.

This dish boasts delicate, flaky flounder and a sweet, fragrant curry made with rich coconut milk, tender sweet potatoes and brown rice. The flounder--which can be substituted with tilapia, if desired--cooks well on top of the curry. Adding the flounder to the slow cooker for the last 20 minutes allows it to steam without overcooking. For the prettiest appearance, substitute whole fresh basil leaves for the sliced basil. To save prep time, purchase a package of prepeeled, prechopped sweet potatoes, such as the 16-ounce steam-in-bag package from Archer Farms, and use 14 ounces from it.

This dish is sure to be a kid favorite that adults will crave, too. Broccoli and cheese is a classic pairing for a reason, and when served with rice and umami-rich mushrooms, the combo is even more comforting. Garnish with shaved Parmesan and additional kosher salt and black pepper, if desired.

Make this healthy dish for a sick friend or a family after the birth of their child. If the recipients are vegetarian or avoid gluten, you'll be set--and even if they don't have food restrictions, they'll love this dish for its satisfying flavor.

With wild and brown rice, edamame, dried cherries and pecans, this dish boasts varied textures as well as an abundance of nutrients. Wild rice is rich in fiber and protein while brown rice is high in manganese, which helps the body digest fats. Cherries are packed with antioxidants, while pecans are loaded with healthy unsaturated fat.

Everyone loves teriyaki chicken--and this one is better for you with much less added sugar. It's also gluten-free so long as you use tamari (aka gluten-free soy sauce). Feel free to swap out the broccoli for any veggie--carrots, snow peas, green beans--that you have on hand.

It's hard to believe you can get such a full-flavored, deeply spiced chicken tikka masala in just 30 minutes, but we did it! And, like the title says, this classic chicken tikka masala recipe really is as easy as it gets.

Ditch the baking dish and make this easy skillet broccoli, cheese and rice casserole. Cooking the casserole in a skillet keeps the flavors and textures fresh--no mushy, sad broccoli! Serve this easy side with baked chicken for a family-pleasing healthy dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes. It would also be a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread or a party buffet.

We cook the eggplant in the oven to speed up the recipe and keep things from getting too unruly on the stovetop. While the eggplant roasts, line up all of your ingredients and begin cooking to make this easy eggplant curry come together seamlessly. Any leftovers will hold up well and are great for taking to work for lunch.

Whip up a chef-quality stir-fry recipe at home. This beef and broccoli stir-fry packs in more vegetables and nearly halves the calories of what you would find in a restaurant. And this healthy dinner takes just 30 minutes to prep, so it's about as quick as takeout too. Ginger, which adds a lively kick to this stir-fry, has long been touted for its power to settle stomachs. But that's not its only superpower: preliminary research suggests it may improve blood sugar and inflammation too.