What to Do With Leftover Rice: 3 Simple Recipes

You’ve cooked too much rice and don’t know what to do with it? Here are three leftover rice recipes that are easy to make and delicious: rice patties, vegan fried rice, and stuffed eggplant.

Leftover rice is a great ingredient that you can use for many different dishes. In fact, if you’re looking for a meal that you can prepare ahead of time, you can pre-cook the rice and then use it for one of these recipes the next day. Always make sure to rinse rice before cooking it. Cooked rice lasts several days in the fridge, so you don’t have to eat it two days in a row.

For each of the leftover rice recipes below, you can get creative and add any other vegetable that’s in season or that you already have at home. If possible, always try to use organic ingredients.

1. Rice Patties

Ingredients (two servings)

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 9 oz. cooked rice
• 1 tsp. mustard
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika powder
• Potato starch
• Oil for frying

Preparation

1. Peel the onion and garlic clove. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
2. Then mix the leftover rice with the onion, garlic, mustard, and spices.
3. Add potato starch bit by bit until you have a solid mass.
4. Heat the oil in a pan. Form the rice mixture into patties and put them in the pan.
5. Fry rice patties from both sides until they are golden brown.

Tip: If you have leftover vegetables like carrots or zucchini, you can grate or cut them into small pieces and add them to the rice mixture.

2. Vegan Fried Rice

Ingredients (two servings)

• 1 onion
• 3 1/2 oz. mushrooms
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 14 oz. leftover cooked rice
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• Curry powder
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. First peel the onion, then dice or cut it into rings.
2. Clean the mushrooms with a brush or cloth and rinse the other vegetables. Remove the pepper’s seeds. Then cut everything into small pieces. (Vegetable brushes are available on Amazon**.)
3. Heat the oil in a large pan.
4. Add the vegetables to the pan and fry them for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Add the leftover rice and fry for another five minutes. Keep stirring.
6. For the seasoning, add soy sauce, curry powder, salt, and pepper.

Tip: For this leftover rice recipe you can use all kinds of vegetables. To spice it up a little, add chili, garlic, and fried tofu.

3. Eggplant With Leftover Rice Stuffing

Here’s another recipe to show you what to do with yesterday’s perfectly good rice.

Tip: You can avoid food waste not only by using up leftovers but also by storing your food properly. For instance, if you store eggplant correctly, it will stay fresh longer.

Ingredients (two servings)

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 10 1/2 oz. cooked rice
• Salt and pepper
• Margarine to grease the baking dish
• Optional: marinated chili pepper or lemon slices

Preparation

1. Wash the eggplant, remove the stalk and cut it length-wise. Then salt it and put it aside for 15 minutes.
2. Peel the onion and dice it.
3. Wash the tomatoes and pepper. Remove the seeds from the pepper, then chop the vegetables.
4. Hollow out the eggplant using a spoon and dice the pulp.
5. Heat the oil in a pan. Then sauté the onion and add the pepper, tomatoes, and eggplant dices.
6. Fry for a few minutes, then mix in the leftover rice and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Fill the eggplant halves with the rice mixture.
8. Place them in a greased baking pan. If you want to, add a marinated chili pepper or lemon slice.
9. Finally, put the pan in the oven and let your eggplants bake for about 30 minutes at 356 degrees Fahrenheit.

By the way, don’t worry about the expiration date on your rice packages. Uncooked rice is one of the foods that never expire, assuming it is kept in dry, sealed containers.

This article was translated from German by Sharon Hodge. You can view the original here: Übrigen Reis verwerten: Ideen für gekochten Reis.