Healthy Vegetarian Rice Recipes

This sophisticated beet burger recipe tastes like a veggie patty from a restaurant. Maybe that's because Dave Horner, the food service chief in Vermont's Chittenden East school district who created it, taught at the New England Culinary Institute before cooking for the kids.

Black beans, black rice and black sesame seeds all contain anthocyanins, potent antioxidant compounds that have been shown to reduce inflammation. So "forbidden" rice isn't just striking, it's also a serious nutrition upgrade. Simmering it in coconut milk adds rich aroma and flavor.

This kitchen-sink of a vegetarian dish was most likely invented in Egypt in the mid-1800s when Cairo was a major multicultural trade port, which could explain the similarities to Italian spaghetti as well as the Indian rice-and-lentil comfort food khichdi. Three toppings--a spicy tomato sauce (shatta), crispy onions and a garlicky vinegar (dakka)--are added to the koshari before serving, but in Cairo most people like them in separate bowls so they can season their bites one at a time. (Recipe adapted from Zooba Restaurant.)

If you're a tempeh skeptic, you've probably never had the firm soy-based slabs slathered with a sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce. We give this easy BBQ tempeh combo a punch of umami with tamari and add a little heat courtesy of gochujang. It's easy to put your own spin on this recipe; see Variations (below) for some riffs.

Edamame make these homemade veggie burgers mean, green protein machines. Peanut sauce, curry paste and quick-pickled carrots give them Thai-inspired flair.

You won't miss the meat in this healthy jambalaya recipe. Vegan smoked sausage takes its place while the classic "trinity" of vegetables--onion, red bell pepper and celery--get a kick from jalapeño peppers. And everything is cooked in one skillet, which means cleanup is a breeze!

This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It's chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that's done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.

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.

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.

For this easy dinner recipe, we've taken inspiration from the popular Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, but lost the bun to make room for one of our favorite whole grains: black (aka forbidden) rice. To make these healthy grain bowls vegetarian, simply use additional tamari in place of the fish sauce.

For this sustainable vegan sushi, we swapped out tuna for tomato that gets a savory seafood flavor from seaweed, tamari and other umami-rich ingredients. The tomato "tuna" tops sushi rice and is finished with a dollop of spicy vegan mayo for nigiri that will delight any sushi lover.

The essences of lemon and fresh basil heighten the flavors of garden-fresh summer vegetables in this flavorful lentil and rice side-dish recipe.

Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, chewy texture, is a blank canvas that takes on flavors well. In these vegan burrito bowls, the jackfruit is simmered in a warm and spicy chile sauce that's so good you'll never know you're eating a plant-based protein instead of pork or beef.

Prepare your own delicious risotto mix with this easy recipe. Keep it on hand for up to 3 months and cook it as needed when you're looking for a quick, tasty side dish.

A fast dinner recipe perfect for busy weeknights, this easy stir-fry recipe will quickly become a favorite. To save time, use precooked rice or cook rice a day ahead.

Who doesn't love a creamy dish of risotto? Fennel adds a light, fresh taste to this no-cheese vegan version, which is bursting with crisp-tender asparagus and green beans, peppery arugula, and zesty radishes.

This homemade rice pudding is a sweet treat after any meal. Apricots and orange peel combine with the complex flavor of cardamom to deliver intense flavor to this simple dessert recipe.

This homemade Asian-inspired fried rice recipe with fresh, crisp-tender vegetables is a vegetarian crowd-pleaser.

This may look like Italian potato gnocchi with red sauce, but one bite reveals more Japanese than Italian influence, because the "gnocchi" in this healthy dinner recipe are made with jasmine rice. To make sure they hold together, form them while the rice is still quite warm and use glutinous sweet rice flour. Recipe adapted from Chef Greg Harrison, Pacific'O Restaurant.

Making risotto has never been easier, thanks to an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot. In this easy recipe, you don't have to stand over the stove constantly stirring. Just add everything into the multicooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and this delicious dinner side dish is ready.