Great Grain Side Dish Recipes

Fill them up with hearty grains like farro, bulgur, couscous, brown rice and more using these side dish recipes from Food Network.

Photo By: Antonis Achilleos

Photo By: Antonis Achilleos

Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Renee Comet

Israeli Couscous with Raisins

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

Get the Recipe: Israeli Couscous with Raisins

Bulgur Salad

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

Get the Recipe: Bulgur Salad

Mushroom Barley

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

Get the Recipe: Mushroom Barley

Curried Brown Rice Pilaf

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

Get the Recipe: Curried Brown Rice Pilaf

Chestnut and Wild Rice Pilaf

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.

Get the Recipe: Chestnut and Wild Rice Pilaf

Barley-Leek Pilaf

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

Get the Recipe: Barley-Leek Pilaf

Perfect Farro

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.

Get the Recipe: Perfect Farro

Perfect Couscous

Couscous isn’t a grain, as some people may think — it's actually a type of pasta made from durum wheat and shaped like a grain. The couscous you have in your pantry is most likely instant couscous that's been steamed and dried so it cooks very quickly, for a fast and easy side dish or base for a salad or bowl. Look for whole wheat couscous in your supermarket; it cooks in the same time as the regular variety and has all the virtues of whole wheat pasta. This recipe makes a big batch for make-ahead meal prep but is easily halved.

Get the Recipe: Perfect Couscous

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