Hibachi flavors but alas, no flaming volcano at home. Continue reading
Hibachi Rice Bowls
Category Archives: Rice/Grain Bowl
Greek Chicken Hot Wraps
Greek Chicken & rice flavors get burrito-ized with roasted chicken, rice, veggies, feta, and dressing. Loved it. Continue reading
Italian Grain Bowls
{originally published in 2017 and updated in 2024}
We have loved grain bowls for a long time. The customization and variety make these really great meals for us. I go for a carb base (orzo, or swap for risotto or rice or beans) + a protein (meatballs, or chicken or rosemary white beans, and cheese) + raw veggie (tomatoes or arugula) + a cooked veggie (parmesan broccoli, or swap for roasted asparagus or zucchini or mushrooms) + drizzle (pesto, or tomato sauce, or alfredo)!
The kids mostly ate everything separate to dip in pesto – their dreams come true.
Italian Grain Bowl
Ingredients (for 4)
1/2 pound orzo (half a box, or use grain of choice)
1-2 heads of broccoli
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
meatballs
1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato sauce
1 cup fresh mozzarella
2/3 cup pesto sauce
1 cup tomatoes
Directions:
Roast the broccoli in the oven (375-degrees) or air fryer until roasted and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan.
Cook the orzo (or any grain).
While veggie and grains are cooking, warm the meatballs and chop the raw veggies.
Drizzle with pesto and enjoy!
One kid let me know they like orzo better with just butter and parmesan – I mean, they still ate it, but this is only a slight deviation for pasta-obsessed kids and it is true we most often have orzo pretty plain. I’m always laying the groundwork for them to see foods all different ways. The same one remembered how much they like roasted broccoli while the other only likes it raw.
The leftovers are great, or let this be the use for leftovers. I love build-your-own situations for groups so people can customize and hit all the dietary needs.
We love all the grain bowls – take your fav flavors and serve it in this grain bowl format (chicken parm! burrito bowls! Egg roll bowls!) and everyone will be glad they can make it their own.
Chicken Parmesan Rice Bowls
Chicken parm in a rice bowl format with crispy chicken, cheese, and a veg – everything you need! Continue reading
Chicken Cordon Bleu Grain Bowl
The classic crispy thin chicken rolled around ham and swiss gets a weeknight makeover in this grain bowl. I included all the usuals but in a very assemble your own rice bowl. This was a hit for everyone, and the kids can go either way on rice lately. Cordon bleu translates to blue ribbon so let’s all agree these flavors are winners.
Of course, pounded/breaded/fried chicken cutlets made at home would be better, and a subtle and from scratch sauce would be lovely, but this is the speedy way!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Grain Bowls
Ingredients: (for ~4)
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (or any grain you like)
2 cups chicken broth (as needed for your rice/grain)
~3 cups breaded chicken – chopped or popcorn style
~4 slices of deli ham
~4 slices of swiss cheese
~1 cup arugula (or green beans or broccoli or other veg as you like)
2 teaspoons mayo
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon water
salt & pepper
Directions:
Cook the rice/grain. My risotto takes 7 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Cook the chicken, again according to the package if fully cooked or not.
Chop the ham, cheese, and arugula.
Mix together the mayo, dijon, and water to a dressing consistency and sprinkle in salt & pepper.
Assemble the bowls with rice as the base with rice, ham, cheese, greens, chicken and finish with a drizzle of the mustardy sauce.
Enjoy!
I was pretty jazzed that everyone was into it. I don’t think either kid opted for any of the mustard sauce but it always means something for everyone – each kid ate some of everything and one kid was very into the chicken and the other was all about the ham and cheese. I’ll take it.
Grain bowls are such the perfect meal for me and I have more in mind! Some other favorites are veggie burger ones & a chicken BLT one & a chipotle shrimp one & others. That reminds me, this winter veggie grain bowl needs to be added to my meal plan ASAP!
Lasagna Bowls
Think lasagna but the fast and custom way as a bowl! Continue reading
Egg roll Bowl
All the perfect elements of an egg roll except not as takeout. Continue reading
Salmon Cakes with Lemon Risotto
We love salmon but I had some not-great salmon from the grocery store that I really needed to use. The salmon from Costco is 100x better so this sub-par stuff seemed best suited to become a crispy cake with some powerful flavors like lemon and dijon.
Swap the rice for any grain you like, just don’t forget the lemon. Swap the salmon for any flaky fish, crab, shrimp, or canned salmon/tuna. Add a drizzle of tahini, or dijon + mayo, or cracked peppercorn salad dressing.
Salmon Cakes and Lemon Risotto:
Ingredients: (for 2 dinner/3 lunch portions)
1/4 white or yellow onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lemon
~6 oz salmon, chopped or forked apart
1 egg, whisked
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted
2 tablespoons dijon
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon seasoning (I used Zatar or TJ’s Mushroom Umami or Todd’s Dirt or Italian Seasoning)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
Prepare the risotto (in a pot for ~30 minutes, or I used the pressure cooker cooking for 6 minutes). Sauté the onion and garlic in butter and olive oil. Then add in the rice and broth/wine mix.
Mix up the salmon, egg, panko, spices, salt and pepper.
Stir well and preheat a pan with olive oil and butter.
Form into patties and pan sear for ~4 minutes on each side, flipping just once. (I used silicone egg molds to keep them together while the first side cooked.) Once seared on each side, remove from oil onto paper towels.
When the risotto is cooked, remove from the heat, and juice half a lemon into it. Stir and spoon into 2 bowls.
Top each bowl with a salmon cake.
I drizzled with a little lemon/dijon/mayo/peppercorn aoli and some chives.
Enjoy!
This is such a great meal. I would definitely order this kind of thing at a restaurant but having at home is so special but still easy. This absolutely is NOT a pack-for-work lunch, no fish is a work lunch. I froze a portion for another time. I have visions of getting home some night after baseball and getting the kids to bed and having something delicious to unearth from the freezer when cheez-its aren’t going to cut it.
I wouldn’t put it past me to lightly dress some arugula and toss it on top, or some green beans, or some tomatoes to make this a fully balanced meal. 😉 I loved it.
Burger Rice Bowls
A burger in a quick & packable form! I made these rice bowls as an easy meal and froze another portion to grab for lunch or to eat quickly on a busy night on the baseball sidelines.
Think of a burger on a bed of bacon rice topped with cheese, pickles, greens, tomatoes, and a final drizzle of special sauce and ketchup. It is perfectly scoop-able, filling, and nutritious.
Burger Rice Bowls
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
1 1/2 cup brown rice prepared
2 tablespoons bacon bits
2 veggie burgers (or any patty)
2 slices white cheddar cheese
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1-2 cups baby arugula
2 teaspoons mayo
4 teaspoons ketchup
dash of garlic powder
pepper
Directions:
Cook the rice and stir in the bacon bits.
Pan fry (or grill) the burgers and top with cheese.
While the burgers are cooking, chop the tomatoes, arugula, and pickles.
Let the rice and burgers cool a few minutes.
Mix up the special sauce: 2 teaspoons ketchup with the mayo, garlic powder, and pepper.
Assemble with rice on the bottom, topped with burgers, cheese, greens, tomatoes, and pickles.
Drizzle with special sauce and ketchup and sesame seeds.
Enjoy!
I loved these! It gives you all the flavors you want from a burger – just with a fork. I love a bun but serving this on rice is actually easier to pack and eat in a hurry than as a burger. It wouldn’t replace a traditional burger for me, but I also wouldn’t pack a burger to be a work lunch.
The bacon brown rice is delicious. I used a veggie burger topped with white cheddar (but could be any burger or portabella cap) and the bowl gets all the burger toppings I had on hand. It was great. For me it is much more filling than as a salad, but you-do-you!
I scooped another serving of rice and chopped another veggie burger and froze it for a later date. One morning I’ll be so grateful to pull it out of the freezer, throw on some greens, veggies, pickles and some ketchup/mustard/mayo dressing on the side. When it is time to eat, I flip the non-cooked parts onto the lid, then I warm the rice & burger and pile on the raw veggies and a drizzle. It is just what I need mid-day – something delicious, nutritious, and appealing.
Cobb Salad Rice Bowls
Love a rice bowl – this inspiration was perfect for winter when we want something warmer than salad! Rice bowls are also filling and great to use leftovers! I subscribe to the goal of:
grain + protein + veg + drizzle = grain bowl
Cobb Salad Rice Bowls
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 1/2 cup rice/grain
4 breaded chicken tenders
4 hard boiled eggs
2 cups greens (I used arugula)
~3 tomatoes
~6 oz cheese
1/4 cup salad dressing
Directions:
Cook the rice and the chicken and hard boil the eggs. (My rice was in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes and my chicken went into the air fryer.)
While the rice, chicken, and eggs cook, chop the cheese, tomatoes, and greens.
Assemble as you like and drizzle with dressing.
Enjoy!
Bacon, avocado, and pickles would all be great additions too but my avo decided a few days prior to this meal ‘it was now or nothing’.
The kiddos had cukes versus greens, and they like theirs separate and to dip into dressing. I stirred some bacon bits into the rice when I made it the first time!
There’s a whole category (over to the right under “rice/grain bowls”). I pack them for lunch all the time too – I just scoop out the raw things and warm the rest and dump back on and drizzle. Voila!