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  4. 20 Delicious Recipes With Whole Grains

20 Delicious Recipes With Whole Grains

Patricia S York, Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living
By Patricia S York
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
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Quick Chicken and Barley Stew Recipe
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Hearty, healthy whole grains are an easy and delicious way to add more bulk and nutrition to your family meals. If you need a break from white rice, the tasty, fail-safe side dish for weeknight suppers, expand your horizons and try other whole grains such as herbed couscous or nutty farro. Grains are versatile and can easily substitute for each other in a recipe. To make mealtime prep even easier, look for quick cooking brands such as Trader Joe's 10 Minute Farro or Simply Balanced Microwaveable Farro Pouch from Target. 
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Lemon-Garlic Butter Shrimp and Broccoli

Lemon-Garlic Butter Shrimp and Broccoli
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Butter Shrimp with Broccoli

The rice soaks up all of the delicious lemon-garlic sauce in this quick and easy shrimp dish. You can make this recipe come together even faster by using bagged precut broccoli florets.

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Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms

Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms

You can still enjoy this hearty soup even if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Use a Dutch oven instead and omit all recipe instructions related to the Instant Pot. After Step 2, bring mixture in the Dutch oven to a boil over high, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, covered, until beef is fork-tender, or about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

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Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Roasted Vegetable Couscous
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Any grain or mix of grains, such as quinoa or barley, will work in this recipe. Add shredded deli chicken to make the recipe heartier.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice

Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice

This recipe uses budget-friendly chicken thighs, but you can also use leg quarters or chicken breasts. Substitute sweet potatoes for the pumpkin if pumpkin is not available.

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Bacon-Spinach-and-Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes

Bacon-Spinach-and-Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Bacon-Spinach-and-Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes are ideal for stuffing because they are meaty and firm enough to hold up while baking. They are also large enough to make a hearty meal. You can swap out the couscous for rice, orzo, or quinoa.

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Grilled Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Scallion-Lime Rice

Grilled Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Scallion-Lime Rice
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos

Recipe: Grilled Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Scallion-Lime Rice

Always a popular choice for a weeknight meal, budget-friendly pork chops get a boost of extra flavor with one of our flavorful spice rubs, which also work well with grilled chicken.

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Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Cooked quinoa is a healthy way to bulk up a salad to make it more filling. If quinoa isn’t available, use another of your favorite grains, such as farro or wild rice.

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Couscous Pilaf with Roasted Carrots, Chicken, and Feta

Couscous Pilaf with Roasted Carrots, Chicken, and Feta
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Couscous Pilaf with Roasted Carrots, Chicken, and Feta

Flavored with golden raisins, toasted almonds, and a simple lemon-brown butter sauce, this fluffy couscous pilaf is a delicious way to incorporate more grains into your weeknight meals.

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Pork-and-Farro Bowl with Warm Brussels Sprouts-Fennel Salad

Pork-and-Farro Bowl with Warm Brussels Sprouts-Fennel Salad
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pork-and-Farro Bowl with Warm Brussels Sprouts-Fennel SaladThis warm vegetable salad with whole-grain farro and pork tenderloin makes a hearty and healthy meal that is ideal for a quick weeknight supper or mid-day lunch.

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Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls

Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls

Plantains, a variety of banana popular in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines, are ready to use when their peels turn black on the outside. Buy them black or let them ripen before cooking.

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Farro Bowl with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Farro Bowl with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Karen Rankin

Recipe: Farro Bowl with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Simplify your mealtime prep and prepare the farro up to two days in advance; store it covered in the refrigerator, then reheat before serving.

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Emily's Red Beans and Rice

Emily's Red Beans and Rice
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

Recipe: Emily's Red Beans and Rice

Ideal for a neighborhood potluck, this recipe makes a lot, especially when served with fluffy rice and a wedge of hot cornbread.

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Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad

Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad

Israeli couscous (also called pearl couscous) really soaks up the tangy dressing, but you can also substitute a cooked and cooled whole grain like quinoa or bulgur.

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Shrimp Perloo

Shrimp Perloo
Credit: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Shrimp Perloo

One-pot rice dishes are versatile and easy, the perfect choice for a weeknight meal. Be sure and choose medium-size and not large shrimp; the heat from the rice mixture cooks the shrimp to tender perfection in only 3 to 5 minutes.

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Zucchini Rice Gratin

Zucchini Rice Gratin
Credit: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Zucchini Rice Gratin

Use some of your fast-growing garden zucchini in this gratin, which is similar to the classic and well-loved cheesy squash casseroles, minus the heavy mayonnaise.

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Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice

Substitute sugar snap peas or snow peas for haricot verts. The best fried rice is made with day-old rice because it is drier and not so sticky.

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Quick Chicken and Barley Stew

Quick Chicken and Barley Stew Recipe
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Quick Chicken and Barley Stew

This chicken stew is filled with good-for-you vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and spinach, as well as hearty whole grains. Add a piece of warm bread to round out this cool weather meal.

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Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice

Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice
Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton

Recipe: Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice

In this recipe, chef, cookbook author, and recipe developer Virginia Willis pairs collard greens with rice, two favorite Southern ingredients, to create a savory and flavorful dish hearty enough to be served as a main entrée.

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Grilled Chicken and Toasted Couscous Salad with Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing

Grilled Chicken and Toasted Couscous Salad with Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing
Credit: Greg Dupree

Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Toasted Couscous Salad with Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing

Elements of this grilled chicken salad can be made ahead, such as the marinade and dressing, which works well on any green salad. If you don’t care for asparagus, use sugar snap peas, broccoli, or your favorite green vegetable.

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Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl

Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl
Credit: Greg Dupree

Recipe: Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl

Have dinner on the table in no time with this quick and easy recipe. Rub the chicken cutlets with the homemade spice rub hours in advance, then chill. All you do when you get home is make the rice and cook the chicken and vegetables.

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    1 of 20 Lemon-Garlic Butter Shrimp and Broccoli
    2 of 20 Instant Pot Beef-and-Barley Soup with Mushrooms
    3 of 20 Roasted Vegetable Couscous
    4 of 20 Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice
    5 of 20 Bacon-Spinach-and-Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes
    6 of 20 Grilled Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Scallion-Lime Rice
    7 of 20 Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
    8 of 20 Couscous Pilaf with Roasted Carrots, Chicken, and Feta
    9 of 20 Pork-and-Farro Bowl with Warm Brussels Sprouts-Fennel Salad
    10 of 20 Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls
    11 of 20 Farro Bowl with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
    12 of 20 Emily's Red Beans and Rice
    13 of 20 Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad
    14 of 20 Shrimp Perloo
    15 of 20 Zucchini Rice Gratin
    16 of 20 Shrimp Fried Rice
    17 of 20 Quick Chicken and Barley Stew
    18 of 20 Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice
    19 of 20 Grilled Chicken and Toasted Couscous Salad with Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing
    20 of 20 Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl

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    20 Delicious Recipes With Whole Grains
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