Healthy Vegetarian Rice Recipes

Serve this pretty, pesto-flavored risotto alongside roasted chicken or pork roast or serve with a big salad for a light dinner. We add a splash of wine along with each addition of broth to give the dish a more pronounced wine flavor. If you'd prefer the wine to be more subtle, add the entire cup at the end of Step 3 and cook, stirring, until the liquid is gone, then begin adding the broth. You can substitute more broth in place of the wine.

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!

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.

This whole-grain wild rice and quinoa salad recipe is perfect for toting to summer potlucks. It features sweet cherries, crunchy celery, nutty aged goat cheese and toasted pecans. If you can find red quinoa, it's particularly pretty.

The secret to the maxed-out flavor of this coconut brown rice dish? Coconut in three forms—milk, oil and shredded.

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.

Start the day off right with a healthy combo of brown rice, beets, avocado, arugula and eggs in this delicious breakfast bowl recipe from Bobbi Brown's book Beauty from the Inside Out. Prep everything the evening before (minus the eggs) to make the morning a breeze. (Recipe developed by Lily Kunin for Bobbi Brown's Beauty from the Inside Out, Chronicle Books, copyright 2017.)

A simple dressing of sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and paprika flavors this rice and lentil salad. It's a great way to use up leftovers.

Zucchini, onion, tomatoes and bell peppers stud this paella-inspired rice dish. You may add other vegetables, such as mushrooms and peas, or if you like something heartier, some slightly spicy Italian sausage is a good choice.

Mixed frozen vegetables make this healthy fried rice recipe quick, easy and economical. If you don't have leftover cooked rice on hand, be sure to thoroughly cool your rice before adding it to the wok--if it's too warm, it creates too much steam and sticks to the wok. To quickly cool warm rice, spread out on a large baking sheet and refrigerate while you prep the rest of your ingredients, about 15 minutes.

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.

Let a slow cooker complete this vegetarian soup. Serve it in cups as a sandwich side or ladle it into bowls for a light meal.

Use up leftover rice and make it into something delicious with this healthy Indian recipe. Because cooked rice refrigerated overnight dries out a little, it's better suited to absorb all the flavors in this dish without getting sticky or mushy. In a pinch, use frozen or shelf-stable precooked basmati rice, available in many stores. Urad dal and roasted chana dal add texture and authenticity to the rice--look for both types of dal in Indian markets or online.

Crispy tofu lends protein to this burrito bowl-inspired veggie-packed grain bowl that's perfect for a quick and easy dinner or packable lunch for work.

This chard and spinach soup gets complex flavor from slowly cooked onions and lemon juice, while a sprinkle of rice gives it body and a velvety texture. Serve with a swirl of fruity, fragrant extra-virgin olive oil for richness.

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.

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.

This vegetarian faux fried rice uses riced cauliflower in place of white or brown rice to pack in extra veggies and cut down on carbs. Chile-garlic sauce pumps up the heat, and fresh ginger adds a bright, warm bite. If you don't like the heat of the chile-garlic sauce, leave it out and add a bit more tamari or soy sauce for a rich, fermented tang.

Not only is this seeded loaf high in fiber, but the blend of seeds and grains lends it a wonderfully nutty flavor, aroma and texture. A heavy container with a tight-fitting lid works best, as the steam trapped inside the pot helps crisp the crust of the boule. Keep in mind that in a very wide-bottomed pot the loaf will spread out and be fairly flat; in a taller, narrower one it will be thicker and have more height (but may take slightly longer to bake).

The long grain rice in this recipe is cooked with a blend of coconut milk and water. Toward the end of the cooking time, fresh snow peas are placed in the pot on top of the rice to steam quickly. The creamy coconut rice is topped with some toasted nuts and voilà--an easy side dish that pairs well with any number of entrees.

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.

Biryanis are rice-based casseroles that combine a saucy meat, vegetable or legume curry with basmati rice, whole spices, nuts and raisins. This particular dish is a nutritional powerhouse, thanks to the mustard greens and chickpeas. Look for the specialty spices--cardamom pods, saffron and garam masala--in the spice section of well-stocked supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Next time you're craving Chinese takeout, make this veggie-packed fried rice recipe in about the same time instead. Tofu and eggs give this vegetarian fried rice staying power from protein, and brown rice boosts fiber.

Pop this fast and fragrant vegetarian dish into the oven and forget it till the timer rings. Serve as a main course on a bed of wilted spinach to add color and maximize iron absorption or serve as a side with Turkish Chicken Thighs.