16 Leftover Rice Recipes for Quick and Satisfying Meals

Break out your rice cooker! There’s no such thing as overdoing it when it comes to cooking rice. That’s because a leftover container in the fridge will be your entry point to all sorts of fun meals, from simple and quick working lunches at home to elaborate treats (see: fried rice arancini). Some of our favorites, like fried rice, actually work better with day-old rice, so go ahead and add an extra cup or two next time you’re having rice for dinner. Need a few ideas to get you started? We've got plenty, starting with this family favorite. Trisha takes all the classic components of a chicken and rice casserole but layers them, which gives it an unexpected little boost of visual and textural interest.

Ree turns bell peppers into a complete meal with a filling that includes ground beef, rice and cheese. This meal is elegant enough for company but comforting enough for a family dinner.

Ree takes a Hawaiian favorite—gingery fried rice studded with chunks of salty SPAM—and zhuzhes it up even more with a spicy sesame barbecue aioli drizzle.

That homey aroma of tender cabbage stuffed with tomato, rice and ground beef is as warming as a hug.

A special dessert for two is ready with minimal effort any time you have leftover rice in the fridge and a pint of rum raisin in the freezer. The ice cream melts into a rich custard (with raisins ready to go) that absorbs into the rice in an irresistible way.

Seriously, soup in 25 minutes? When you’ve already got cooked rice in the fridge, absolutely, yes! Fortifying the broth with egg thickens it up so that you’d never believe this was a soup with a short simmer time, while tomato, scallions, sesame oil and soy sauce just layer on the umami that’s all but required for a satisfying bowlful.

Get a taste of the Mediterranean with these beef-stuffed tomatoes, laced through with goat cheese, pine nuts and fresh mint, and kissed with smokey flavor from the grill, a signature move by Michael Symon.

Bibimbap is a gorgeous Korean composed dish, a bed of rice in a hot cooking vessel that continues to crisp the bottom layer, topped with individually prepared items that you can mix in as eaten (and usually an egg yolk on top that you can stir in as part of the creamy sauce). Sunny's version is inspired by her trips to Korea.

When you’re up to your ears in Thanksgiving leftovers and you’ve had enough of turkey sandwiches, this hotdish from Molly will really wow you, hitting the highlights of the holiday table but spinning them in a completely new direction.

When you’ve got rice in the fridge, you can focus on the other parts of the meal, like breading and frying. This dish takes inspiration from Japanese fried cutlets. Folding garlic, ginger and bok choy into the rice makes it extra-special and rounds out the meal.

This recipe performs an amazing kitchen alchemy, taking leftovers (rice and a roast chicken carcass) and transforming them into a very Tuscan-reminiscent warming soup, nourishing with kale, tomatoes and other veggies.

You know that uber-savory quality of a good shawarma meat? These peppers take advantage of that irresistible spice mixture, bringing hearty ground turkey into these healthy delights.

This casserole brings all the flavors of the Southwest to an easy, cheesy side dish. It will be the hit of any potluck, and goes wonderfully with a spice-rubbed grilled steak or chicken.

Get ready for some serious flavor bombs. Leftover rice is combined with chorizo, beef and cheddar, then formed into patties that are deep-fried, arranged in a meaty gravy and topped with sunny-side up eggs. On a cold night, nothing will be better.

How do you make sure leftover brown rice is moist and flavorful? Enter Cheddar rice! Along with avocado, beans, carrots and salsa, this makes a quick lunch that’s just as good as takeout, but much healthier.