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50 Ways to Use Leftover White Rice

50 Ways to Use Leftover White Rice

Updated February 13, 2020

Jennifer Causey

Got a leftover box of white rice? We've got you covered. Whether you're in the mood for a soothing soup (like this heartwarming Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup), an authentic Cajun dish (we absolutely love this Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo), or a sweet dessert (we're looking at you, Rice Pudding Brûlée), our white recipes are exactly what you're looking for.

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One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Recipe

Another winner, winner, chicken dinner! You can’t miss when budget-friendly chicken thighs are cooked to golden brown, nestled into a bed of rice and vegetables, and dressed with a honey-chile sauce. This is truly a one-pan recipe, making clean-up a breeze.

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Lamb and Rice Stuffed Eggplant

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Lamb and Rice Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

If you’ve ever experienced the disappointment that is a bland eggplant boat hidden under copious amounts of sauce and cheese… rest assured, this isn’t that. A variety of dried spices provide a wealth of warm, aromatic flavors, while ground lamb delivers a distinct richness, and fresh mint provides a pop of herbaceous energy.

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Chicken and Rice Casserole

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Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Although the yellow and green squash give this chicken and rice casserole a colorful appearance, you can use one or the other, if you prefer.

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Easy Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

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Easy Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Recipe

Have dinner ready when you come home with this ultimate, slow-cooker Jambalaya. Featuring chicken, shrimp and smoked sausage, this classic Creole rice dish is perfect for the slow-cooker as all the flavors blend together over time in a marvelous way. As a simple one-pot meal, bring Jambalaya to your next potluck as a crowd-pleasing dish that doesn't skimp on flavor or presentation. Don’t be afraid of making too much because leftover Jambalaya still tastes great warmed up the next day with a splash of your favorite hot sauce.

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Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

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Broccoli and Rice Casseroles Recipe

Whether it’s for a special occasion or weeknight meal, this broccoli and rice casserole—complete with chicken and lots of cheese—is destined to impress. These mini casseroles are perfectly portioned and come together in 20 minutes, plus they’re brimming with flavor.

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Sheet Pan Paella

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Sheet Pan Paella Recipe

No paella pan? No problem. You can still make authentic-tasting paella with a sheet pan. This sheet pan paella is full of flavor, and with this method, all the components from the rice to the sausage and even the seafood turn out perfectly.

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Creamy Rice with Scallops

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Creamy Rice with Scallops Recipe

This recipe is impressive enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight. Smoky, salty bacon tastes delicious with naturally sweet foods like corn and scallops. Here, we combined all three ingredients in this sophisticated risotto-like dish made with Arborio rice.

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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice Recipe

The classic Creole dish, updated so you can make it in a quarter of the time thanks to the Instant Pot.

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Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Soup

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Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Soup Recipe

Look for andouille near the smoked sausages in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Want to make this soup in your Instant Pot? Click here for the recipe.

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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

A little heavy cream adds body and richness to classic chicken and rice soup, and collard greens make it heartier and more nutritious. If you're looking for a tasty side, we recommend this Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Recipe that gets extra flavor from chives and whole-grain mustard.

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Spiced Tilapia with Coconut Rice

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Spiced Tilapia with Coconut Rice Recipe

Two pantry staples—black pepper and turmeric—team up to fight inflammation and add bold flavor to this fast-fix tilapia. Dressing up microwave rice with coconut milk is a smart kitchen hack you’ll turn to again and again.

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Our basic gumbo recipe is a force to be reckoned with. This deliciously easy recipe tastes like it came straight out of the Big Easy.

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Beef Crumble Fried Rice

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Beef Crumble Fried Rice Recipe

This family favorite only takes half an hour to make. High heat and cornstarch make the beef extra crispy, and the soy sauce and red pepper add flavor to the dish. If you wanted to bulk the meal up a little bit, consider adding a vegetable like spinach.

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Single Serving Shrimp Fried Rice

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Single Serving Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

Cooking for one doesn’t have to be boring or a hassle. This easy and delicious dinner comes together in one pan and in less time than it takes to go through a drive-thru.

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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Credit: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

Jambalaya is a classic Creole dish that combines rice with a variety of other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, peppers and some type of meat or shellfish. This easy one-dish meals features both smoked sausage and shredded rotisserie chicken.

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Easy Oven Rice

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Easy Oven Rice Recipe

For anyone who’s ever struggled with cooking rice on the stovetop (and no, it’s not just you…), this easy oven rice recipe is for you. Say hello to your new foolproof method for perfect, fluffy rice—every time. The only real “tricks” to nailing this baked rice recipe are avoiding over-stirring and fighting the urge to “peek” while the rice is cooking.

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Combination Fried Rice

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Combination Fried Rice Recipe

Use a mix of whatever meat you have on hand in this combination fried rice. Spicy chili-garlic sauce adds a kick and, once opened, it keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.

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Arancini (Cheesy Italian Rice Balls)

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Arancini (Cheesy Italian Rice Balls) Recipe

For perfectly fried, mozzarella Arancini, dip a rice ball into flour and shake off any excess. Dip floured ball into egg, allowing any excess to drip off. Finish by coating completely in breadcrumbs. Repeat.

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Perfect 3-Step Rice

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Perfect 3-Step Rice Recipe

You never knew "plain" rice could taste this good. Create the perfect pot of fluffy, well-seasoned rice every time with this foolproof method.

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Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

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Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

If there's a more satisfying meal to make for cool weather, we haven't found it. Gumbo is a stay-inside-and-cook-all-day kind of dish that warms you inside and out. While Louisianans have firm ideas about what goes into a proper gumbo, there are infinite variations.

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Instant Pot Rice

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Instant Pot Rice Recipe

This easy Instant Pot Rice recipe yields the perfect pot of fluffy white rice—i.e. the ideal blank dinner canvas. To amp the flavor up a bit, upgrade your pot to Instant Pot Coconut Rice, Instant Pot Green Rice, or Instant Pot Saffron Rice.

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Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice

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Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice Recipe

This dirty rice gets its flavoring from chicken sausage, paprika, cayenne pepper, and even a poblano chile. Just add a serving of hot cornbread.

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Breakfast Fried Rice

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Breakfast Fried Rice Recipe

A microwave might heat rice quickly, but it doesn’t add any flavor. Devote a few extra minutes to making breakfast fried rice in the morning, and last night’s leftovers will be totally transformed. If dishwashing seems like too much of a chore that early in the day, we’ve got great news for you.

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Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup

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Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup Recipe

If you’re looking for gumbo-flavor without the daylong cook time, check out this recipe that utilizes leftover Thanksgiving turkey. No leftover turkey on hand? No worries, just buy a turkey breast and bake or pick up a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store for a simple swap.

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Pineapple Fried Rice with Spam, Shrimp, and Cashews

Credit: Greg Dupree

Pineapple Fried Rice with Spam, Shrimp, and Cashews Recipe

This vibrant dish is as easy to make as it is gorgeous. We love the effortless way the recipe combines elegant ingredients with pantry staples.

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Smoked Chicken, Squash, and Rice Soup

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Smoked Chicken, Squash, and Rice Soup Recipe

Smoked chicken, which you can pick up from your favorite barbecue restaurant, gives this soup a nice depth of flavor. Lime juice, avocado, and cilantro add a Latin accent.

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Red Beans and Rice with Fried Eggs

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Red Beans and Rice with Fried Eggs Recipe

Red beans and rice is a tried and true standby for good reason—at it’s simplest, the dish is hearty, tasty, comes together fast, and can be whipped up with ease, even during those hectic weeks you can’t seem to make it the grocery store.

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Shrimp Fried Rice

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Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

You will never order take out again once you discover how fast it is to whip up this tasty, one-pan Shrimp Fried Rice. This delicious take on everyone’s favorite fried rice, ready in just 15 short minutes, is the perfect dish for a late summer meal.

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Taco Rice

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Taco Rice Recipe

It may sound odd, but this Tex-Mex style dish actually hails from Japan. It’s origins are from Okinawa, specifically, where it was made popular due to the high US military population who were stationed there in the 1960’s. Today, you’ll find it at casual family restaurants and fast food spots all over Tokyo.

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Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

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Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

This gumbo is a great use for leftover roasted turkey, though cooked chicken will also work. We skip the long-stirred roux here in favor of filé powder, a thickener made from the sassafras plant; look for it on the spice aisle. For the best results, stir in the filé powder off the heat.

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Zucchini Rice Gratin

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Zucchini Rice Gratin Recipe

Inspired by Julia Child's classic recipe for Tian de Courgettes au Riz (zucchini gratin), my version is comforting yet fresh and clean--it's not overloaded with heavy cream or cheese.

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Instant Pot Rice Pudding

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Instant Pot Rice Pudding Recipe

This super simple Instant Pot rice pudding is creamy, rich, comforting, and has just the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. The recipe is pretty much hands off, but thanks to your pressure cooker nobody will be able to tell you hardly put in any effort. It’s perfect for a cold winter night, but it would also make a wonderful breakfast since it’s not overly sweet.

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Stuffed Tomatoes with Pesto Rice

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Stuffed Tomatoes with Pesto Rice Recipe

Hull the tomatoes as gently as possible. If you break the skin, they will over-soften while baking and could fall apart.

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50 Ways to Use Leftover White Rice

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One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice

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Lamb and Rice Stuffed Eggplant

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Chicken and Rice Casserole

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Easy Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

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Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

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Sheet Pan Paella

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Creamy Rice with Scallops

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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

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Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Soup

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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

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Spiced Tilapia with Coconut Rice

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo

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Beef Crumble Fried Rice

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Single Serving Shrimp Fried Rice

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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

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Easy Oven Rice

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Combination Fried Rice

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Arancini (Cheesy Italian Rice Balls)

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Perfect 3-Step Rice

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Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

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Instant Pot Rice

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Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice

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Breakfast Fried Rice

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Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup

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Pineapple Fried Rice with Spam, Shrimp, and Cashews

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Smoked Chicken, Squash, and Rice Soup

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