Healthy Recipes Healthy Mealtime Recipes Healthy Dinner Recipes 17 Simple Recipes That Start With a Bag of Rice By Alex Loh Alex Loh Alex Loh is EatingWell's associate food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe's. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 14, 2020 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Create a delicious, well-rounded meal starting with a bag of rice. Rice is a great foundation for a tasty, nutritious meal, just add vegetables and protein and dinner is served. Recipes like Easy Brown Rice Pilaf with Spring Vegetables and Bean & Veggie Taco Bowl are easy, filling and you can use any vegetables you have in your pantry or freezer. 01 of 17 Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole View Recipe 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. Source: Eatingwell.com, September 2019 02 of 17 Sweet & Sour Chicken View Recipe This 20-minute meal delivers a faster, lighter and more flavorful takeout alternative. It's chock-full of fresh, crispy veggies and juicy chicken pieces, and it reheats well for meal-prep lunches. If you like heat, sub Sriracha for some of the ketchup. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2018 03 of 17 Easy Brown Rice Pilaf with Spring Vegetables View Recipe This quick 3-ingredient dinner takes advantage of foods you can keep stocked in your fridge and pantry for a fast, healthy meal the whole family will love. Want to kick it up a notch? Use a frozen vegetable blend that has added seasoning for extra flavor (just watch the sodium). Source: EatingWell.com, April 2018 04 of 17 Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing View Recipe For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2018 05 of 17 Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl View Recipe Here's the quintessence of Japanese home cooking: an aromatic, protein-rich broth served over rice. Admittedly, Japanese cooking leans heavily on sugar--for a less traditional taste, you could reduce or even omit the sugar. Source: EatingWell Magazine, April/May 2005 06 of 17 Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie View Recipe This rice, spinach and Cheddar pie is a cinch to prepare--especially if you have leftover cooked rice. If you don't, follow package directions for 4 servings to get about 3 cups cooked rice. Serve with steamed artichokes with light mayo mixed with lemon for dipping. Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2012 07 of 17 Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake View Recipe This hearty one-skillet dinner is loaded with celery, kale, tomatoes and quick-cooking brown rice. It's easy to make the recipe vegetarian by substituting smoked tofu for the turkey. Source: EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2012 08 of 17 Bean & Veggie Taco Bowl View Recipe Simple brown rice and black beans serve as the backdrop for sautéed veggies and taco toppings! Source: EatingWell.com, October 2017 09 of 17 Sheet-Pan Shrimp Fried Rice View Recipe Classic shrimp fried rice gets amped-up flavor with sambal heat. The textures are pretty spot on with hits of crispy and tender rice and are the same as you'd get if you prepared it in a wok or skillet. This sheet-pan shrimp fried rice recipe is a great way to use leftover rice, but you could also use pre-cooked microwave rice so that it can be coming to room temperature while you chop the veggies. Source: 400 Calorie Recipes 10 of 17 Creamy Mushroom, Chicken & Asparagus Bake View Recipe This comforting weeknight casserole recipe features plenty of mushrooms and asparagus combined with chicken and brown rice and a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. Whip this up anytime you have leftover chicken or cooked brown rice to spare. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020 11 of 17 Turkey & Brown Rice Chili View Recipe This hearty turkey chili recipe takes just 35 minutes to prep. While it's cooking, you'll have time to throw together a green salad and warm up some crusty bread to complete the meal. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine 12 of 17 Vegetable Fried Rice View Recipe Nothing could be easier than this light version of fried rice. We've used instant brown rice, but if you have leftover cold rice or can pick some up at a Chinese restaurant on the way home, use that instead and skip Step 1. Source: EatingWell Magazine, April/May 2006 13 of 17 Chicken Curry with Rice View Recipe Fresh ginger and pungent curry add big flavor to this one-pot meal. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 1996 14 of 17 Rice & Bean Freezer Burritos View Recipe Save money and sodium when you make a batch of homemade frozen burritos. Mashing the beans and mixing them with tomatoes, cheese and jalapeños before filling the healthy burritos means you get all the ingredients in each bite. Serve with your favorite toppings--we like sour cream, salsa and hot sauce. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2017 15 of 17 Slow-Cooker Chicken & Rice Bowls View Recipe 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. Source: Everyday Slow Cooker 16 of 17 Vegetarian Sushi Grain Bowl View Recipe Skip the hassle of making sushi rolls at home and just go for this grain bowl. Start with a base of brown rice and add veggies, dressing and creamy avocado for a delicious and easy meal. Source: EatingWell.com, May 2017 17 of 17 Creamy Turkey and Rice Bake View Recipe This family-pleasing casserole features lean turkey tenderloin pieces, brown rice, zucchini, and mushrooms, all baked in a creamy sauce and topped with crunchy crumbs and cheese. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit