Dinner is hard enough to plan and prepare on a busy day, so thinking of side dishes to go along with your meal can be intimidating. Luckily, not every side dish has to be complicated or time-consuming to still add flavor and balance to a meal.
Whether you’re entertaining guests or just trying to plan weeknight dinner, there are easy side dishes you can prepare that help to enhance the main course and round out the meal without causing you too much headache. These rice side dish recipes are fast, flavorful, and built with simplicity in mind, and perfect for any night of the week.
How to Quickly Choose the Right Rice Side Dish
Save yourself time choosing—and preparing—side dishes by keeping these tips in mind:
- Balance out the main dish. Side dishes should feel different than the main. If you’re having a rich main course like steak, for example, choose a light side dish rather than something heavy. If your main course is a starch like rice or pasta, then you’ll want to avoid another starch as a side dish.
- Keep a theme throughout. Having a common theme or ingredient throughout each dish can help the meal feel cohesive. If your main course is chicken cooked with lemon, for example, then try adding a squeeze of lemon to your side dish or incorporate lemon in the dressing of a side salad.
- Get seasonal. If you’re in need of some inspiration for a tasty side dish, get ideas based on the seasonal ingredients available in your area. Feature strawberries in a salad during the summer months, or roast squash for a side when it’s in season during the winter.
- Work with what you have. When it comes to planning meals, sometimes it’s best not to overthink it. Start with what ingredients you have on hand and build ideas from there. This is also a great strategy to help you use up produce before it goes bad, or to use leftover food in new ways.
- Keep quick staples on hand. Ensure that you always have pantry staples like Minute Rice stocked that act as a base to a number of side dishes. Minute Rice can be prepared quickly, with Minute Rice Cups ready in just one minute and Minute Instant Rice in as little as five minutes, so you can still enjoy a side dish when you’re short on time.
Easy Rice Side Dish Recipes for Any Meal
Rice makes a great side dish because its subtle flavor complements the main course while balancing the other flavors of the meal. Rice by itself is a great side for a meal, adding hearty flavor and texture, but there are plenty of ways to elevate it into delicious dishes that enhance your main course.
Side dishes shouldn’t add too much stress to your dinner, but luckily there are a number of easy, time-saving sides featuring rice that you can add to your next meal without extra hassle.
Vegetable Escabeche and Rice Side Dish
This Vegetable Escabeche and Rice is an easy rice side dish recipe that adds plenty of color and crunch to your table. Vibrant vegetables like yellow squash, carrots and purple cauliflower are boiled then quickly pickled using rice wine vinegar, then mixed with Minute Butter & Sea Salt Jasmine Rice Cups for a fresh and simple rice side dish ready in just minutes.
Pea and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Rice
Spice up your rice with this delicious Pea and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Rice, made with Minute Instant Jasmine Rice, sun-dried tomato pesto, garlic, shallots, peas, tomatoes, Pecorino cheese and chili flakes for an added kick. The beauty of this side dish is that it comes together in about 15 minutes while still being full of flavor, and uses just one skillet for easy cleanup.
Basmati Rice with Dried Fruit & Almonds
This Basmati Rice with Dried Fruit & Almonds dish from recipe creator Christina Patricio is a perfect way to elevate rice as a side when you’re short on time. Start by preparing Minute Instant Basmati Rice, which is ready in just five minutes, then simply add dried fruit and slivered almonds before serving. She serves this side dish alongside chicken kabobs, but this side dish is versatile enough to pair with any number of main courses.
Cheesy Rice-Stuffed Mushrooms
Filled with three types of cheese, these Cheesy Rice-Stuffed Mushrooms are a side dish that’s sure to be a hit at the table. They’re also easy to make in no time thanks to Minute Basmati Rice Cups, which are ready in just one minute in the microwave. Mushroom caps are filled with aromatic basmati rice mixed with herby garlic butter, then topped with plenty of cheese for a crowd-pleasing side. For extra texture and flavor, try adding bacon bits to these stuffed mushrooms before serving!
Rice Salads
Salads are a great side dish to help round out your meal, often offering a light, refreshing counterpart to a main course. Rice is a great way to add some additional heartiness and texture to a traditional salad, making rice salads a great side dish.
Garlic-Butter Kale: A Simple Rice Side Dish
Rice salads don’t get simpler than this Garlic-Butter Kale Rice, which comes together in under 10 minutes using just a handful of ingredients. The base of this salad is Minute Instant Jasmine Rice, which helps this side stand out with its aromatic flavor and fluffy texture. After preparing the rice, simply cook kale and garlic in butter and oil, then stir it into the rice along with lemon juice, and you’re ready to serve!
Italian Grinder Rice Salad
This Italian Grinder Rice Salad combines classic grinder sandwich ingredients into a hearty salad perfect to enjoy as a side. Simply prepare Minute White Rice Cups, then toss the rice with chopped romaine lettuce and Italian grinder classics like mozzarella cheese, red onion, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, turkey and salami. Top with your favorite creamy Italian dressing and croutons before digging in!
Mint and Feta Jasmine Rice Side Dish
Fragrant Minute Instant Jasmine Rice is also at home in this refreshing Mint and Feta Rice Salad, which is a great side to make ahead for dinner parties or gatherings. Fresh mint and dill, leafy arugula and zesty feta cheese make a delicious combination, along with a simple homemade dressing of oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper to bring everything together.
