Great Grain Side Dish Recipes

Combine Israeli couscous with cinnamon, golden raisins and almonds for a hearty side dish.

Make a side dish in just 15 minutes by adding oranges, cucumbers and olives to bulgur wheat.

Caramelize onions and add them to quick-cooking barley, then toss with mushrooms, dill and salt to make this side.

Add curry powder and broken spaghetti to a pot of brown rice, plus chopped almonds for crunch in this hearty side.

Combine natural wild rice and white basmati rice for this nourishing, nutty side. Be sure to cook each type separately so it comes out just right.

A smattering of golden raisins adds just enough sweetness to this savory grain side.

It's easy to fall in love with the chewy, nutty flavor of this wholesome wheat grain, but you may be hesitant to cook it at home due to its reputation for being tricky to prepare. This couldn't be further from the truth. The hardest part may be knowing which type of farro you’ve got — it comes in whole grain, semi-pearled (some of the bran is removed) and pearled (all of the bran is removed) — and this is not indicated on all packages. All types have slightly different cooking times and absorb different amounts of liquid, so the best route to perfectly cooked farro is to boil it like pasta and dress and season it after it's out of the pot. Toasting the farro in a skillet before boiling enhances its nutty flavor even more.