Sometimes when you are cleaning the kitchen after a busy day, you find out there is some food leftover rice or other foods from the last meal. Your first thought is to store them in plastic containers, put them in the fridge, and forget about it.

The next day, you see a bunch of containers and maybe you don’t even want to think about what to do with them. One option would be to reheat it and eat the same food once again. A less popular option ‒and definitely not recommendable‒ is throwing it into the garbage bin.

But, there is another alternative different from reheating or throwing away, and it is preparing new dishes. Yes! You can make delicious meals using leftovers.

Preparing leftovers meals

Pasta left for the last dinner, perhaps some potato salad, roasted chicken, bread, or rice, do not worry, you can use them again. Some people have taken advantage of these leftovers for making incredible dishes. There are thousands of recipes based on the remaining food from previous meals. They work perfectly in salads, cakes, tarts, omelets, stuffing, sauces, wraps, soups, and so much more.

It is incredible how most leftover food can be used in new preparations. Among this vast range of choices, there are some favored foods for making extra delicious dishes. For example, rice. This versatile grain is not only very useful when cooking any recipe, but also as a leftover.

Its mild flavor allows it to reuse and create delightful dishes. You can make countless preparations with leftover rice, here are some ideas:

  • Rice Frittata.
  • Rice Roti.
  • Risotto Balls.
  • Rice Burrito.
  • Rice Fritters.
  • Risotto Cakes.
  • Chicken and Rice Soup.

Discovering unique rice desserts

But rice is not only used in salty recipes, sugary preparations can also be prepared with the remaining rice you have in your fridge. Try to make any of the following:

  • Rice pudding.
  • Rice Pancakes.
  • Sweet Rice Ice Pops.
  • Fried Rice Fritters.
  • Sweet Arancini.

It could be very difficult to choose one of the above recipes. To make your choice easier, prepare the most popular dessert worldwide: rice pudding.

Quicker and still delicious rice pudding

Rice pudding is well-known for its creaminess and sweetness. A classic rice pudding has to be cooked slowly and babysat all the time to keep it from burning. When preparing rice pudding with cooked rice, the process becomes easier and quicker, because you skip a step in the recipe: the rice is already done.

Making rice pudding with cooked rice is not a fresh new idea. You will be surprised to know that some of the most popular rice puddings have a version with leftover rice without a change in its delightful taste.

Try some of these recipes, and be surprised that they match the taste of any classic rice pudding recipe.

Easy Rice Pudding with Leftover Rice

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 2 cups of cooked white rice.
  • 2 cups of whole milk.
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt.
  • 1 beaten egg.
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
  • ⅓ cup of granulated sugar.
  • ⅓ cup of golden raisins.
  • ⅓ cup of raisins.
  • 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Preparation:

  1. In a saucepan, add cooked rice, milk, and salt. Cook at medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, combine beaten egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
  3. Add this mixture to the rice. Stir very well.
  4. Incorporate all raisins. Combine all components.
  5. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to get thicker (about 10 min.).
  6. Turn off the heat, and add ½ tsp of vanilla extract and unsalted butter.
  7. Let it stand.
  8. Serve warm or cold with ground cinnamon on the top.

 

Baked leftover rice pudding

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 2 cups of whole milk.
  • 1 cup of cooked rice.
  • 2 large eggs (beaten).
  • ¼ cup of sugar.
  • ⅓ cup of raisins.
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • Granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300° F (150 °C)
  2. In a saucepan, pour milk, and add simmer rice at low heat.
  3. Use a small bowl to mix the beaten eggs with sugar and vanilla. Incorporate the milk and rice. Stir constantly.
  4. Add raisins and cook until the mixture thickens.
  5. Turn off the heat, and put the preparation in a baking dish.
  6. Bake for 25 minutes until getting a baked-custard-type.
  7. Remove from the oven and let it stand.
  8. When serving, add cinnamon or granulated sugar on the top.