20 Delicious Recipes With Whole Grains

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.