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Healthy Brown Rice Recipes

Healthy Brown Rice Recipes

By Food & Wine

Updated December 23, 2016

Brown rice is officially no longer just a simple side. From hearty breakfast meals to full casseroles, you can use brown rice for a myriad of delicious dishes.

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Brown Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms

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The wonderfully nutty and chewy brown rice in this simple pilaf is a great source of fiber.

Delicious, Quick Side Dishes

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Sweet Brown Rice Risotto with Kale and Cremini

Credit: Con Poulos

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"Despite its name, sweet brown rice isn't sweet," says chef Marco Canora. Instead, this short-grain glutinous rice resembles whole-grain sushi rice. Here, Canora uses it to make a hearty vegetarian risotto.

More Risotto Recipes

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Chicken Burrito with Brown Rice

Credit: © Todd Porter & Diane Cu

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Instead of beans, add healthy brown rice to this delicious chicken burrito.

More Chicken Recipes

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Edamame Fried Brown Rice

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Edamame is a great addition to this simple fried brown rice dish, which works beautifully if you use day-old rice.

One-Bowl Rice Dishes

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Stir-Fried Brown Rice and Cabbage with Toasted Nori

Credit: © Sarah Bolla

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Adding lots of shredded cabbage and toasted nori to this dish make for an amazing umami-packed brown rice stir fry.

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Nutty Brown-Rice Tabbouleh

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Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad typically made with bulgur (dried and ground or crushed wheat berries that are parboiled). Here, warm brown rice takes bulgur's place.

More Salads with Grains

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Brown Rice Pilaf with Green Olives and Lemon

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Alain Coumont makes this creamy (yet cream-free) rice dish with lemony Lucques olives and nutty organic Camargue red rice, but almost any green olive or short-grain brown rice would be terrific. Vegans should leave out the tangy goat cheese shavings.

More Healthy Recipes

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Herbed Brown Rice Salad with Corn, Fava Beans and Peas

Credit: © John Kernick

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Cyril Renaud, who grew up in Brittany, had brown rice for the first time when his Irish-American wife, Brigette, introduced him to it. Now he loves this heart-healthy, nutty-flavored grain, especially because its chewy texture holds up beautifully in salads, like this slightly spicy one full of vegetables and herbs.

More Salad Recipes

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Curried Brown Rice with Roasted Cauliflower

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This Indian-inspired brown rice dish is full of flavor and healthful spices.

One-Bowl Rice Dishes

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Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Green Beans and Mustard Vinaigrette

Credit: © Emily Farris

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This brown rice salad is healthy, delicious, and the beans and dressing can be prepared in advance.

Salads with Grains

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Breakfast Fried Brown Rice

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A great way to use leftover cooked brown rice, this delicious fried rice made with thinly sliced scallions, chopped spinach and egg takes just 15 minutes.

Whole Grain Breakfasts

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Brown Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and Parsley

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Toasted almonds and chopped parsley are healthy additions to this super-simple, gluten-free brown rice dish.

Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes

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Brown Rice Pilaf with Leeks and Wild Mushrooms

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While this recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, you can use any combination of wild mushrooms (oyster, chanterelle, porcini, crimini, etc.), and white button mushrooms will work fine in a pinch.

Rice Pilaf Recipes

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Brown Rice with Truffle and Chive

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White truffle oil is a wonderful but assertive flavor, and a little goes a long way. If you're unsure of how much truffle flavor you prefer, start with 1 teaspoon and add more to your own taste.

Thanksgiving Rice Dishes

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Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini

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"While in Los Angeles filming the second season of Top Chef Just Desserts last year, I discovered Cafe Gratitude, a vegan cafe with a cult following," Gail Simmons says. "For me, its fresh, simple food was the perfect antidote to all that sugar. I became addicted to aptly named dishes like I Am Fortified--a bowl of whole grains with lots of cooked vegetables. When I got back to New York, I developed my own version."