SaurabhWhite rice is one of the most popular dishes worldwide. Plain or with different seasonings, this side dish can enrich almost any type of meal.
However, what can you add next to your white rice to complete your lunch or dinner? This is the question we will focus on in this guide.
From sausage to steak, fish, and veggies, you will find not less than 20 different dishes to enjoy with your white rice, so let’s dive right in!
Best Side Dishes to Eat With White Rice
Pick the best side dish to go with your rice according to your taste and preferences. Note that all the following dishes go great with brown rice or wild rice as well.
1. Sausages
Sausages of any kind are ideal to serve with white rice.
You can either prepare your sausages with ground pork and beef, garlic, and, seasonings or you can purchase them at any grocery store. Each country has its traditional recipe for sausages and you can go for the one that matches your taste best.
Add a delicious sauce on top of them and serve next to a bowl of white rice! We suggest serving warm sausage as it tastes much better than cold ones.
2. Beef Steak
Beef steak is a popular dish all over the world and it is very flexible in terms of what side dishes you can serve it with.
White rice and beef steak will give you a delicious and nutritious meal to enjoy either for lunch or dinner.
You can prepare the beef steak plain or add a sauce of your choice to enrich its flavor. A fresh salad will go great as well, to complete this meal!
3. Grilled Chicken
If you are looking for a fast dish to add next to your rice, grilled chicken is your best option. It takes only a few minutes to grill the chicken, especially if you cut it into thin slices.
Add seasonings of your choice to it to give it a richer flavor as chicken can be somewhat blunt. Make sure you don’t overcook the chicken as you don’t want it to get too dry.
You might need only between 5 and 8 minutes on the grill to get your chicken ready to serve.
4. Steamed Veggies
Steam veggies are not only easy to make but also healthy and delicious. It takes only a couple of minutes to steam the veggies of your choice such as broccoli, carrots, or sweet potatoes.
Regular potatoes might take longer to steam due to their hard texture. Season with olive oil and herbs as well as salt and serve them next to your white rice.
You can mix the veggies with the rice if you want to obtain a more complete dish rather than have two of them.
5. Barbecue
When it comes to barbecues, the sky is the limit. You can barbecue everything from your favorite veggies to mushrooms and meat.
There are special barbecue seasonings to add to your food so you enrich the flavor. Any type of barbecue, be it veggies or meat will taste great with a portion of white rice.
Plus, your friends you love such a meal as well so you can save this idea for your next weekend gathering.
6. Cream Soup
If you like cream soups, especially vegetable cream soups, you know that most of them go great with croutons. But what if you replaced the classic croutons with a bowl of white rice? Well, you will only win because the rice will add an interesting texture to your soup.
We recommend you eat the rice on the side rather than adding it to the soup. When you serve it, get a spoon of rice and dip it in the soup and you will love this combo.
7. Stir fry
Stir fries are also a fast dish that you can make on those days when your schedule doesn’t allow you to cook in peace for hours.
You can purchase some frozen stir fry mixes and just dump them in the wok with a little olive oil and seasonings. It takes a few minutes to cook stir fry and if you eat it next to a bowl of rice, you will have a satisfying and tasty meal.
8. Turkey Curry
Turkey curry can be a dish by itself but it can taste, so much better with white rice. It is easy to make as you need chicken, curry, mango, cauliflower, and carrots and you can add them on top of the rice.
If you like other veggies such as peppers, you can try adding them to your curry as they will only add more texture and flavor. This combo is so tasty that you will most likely go for seconds.
9. Veggie Stew
Vegetable stews can be even tastier with a side of white rice, especially if you feel the need for some carbs with your meal.
You can eat your white rice with any type of veggie stew and you will not regret it. Add some of the stew on top of the rice if it is thick enough. Or, you can simply have a bowl of white rice next to it and your meal will be fast and complete!
10. Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are great appetizers in Asian cuisine. Rice is also common in many Asian dishes. So, you can’t go wrong by enjoying your rice with spring rolls.
You can make your spring rolls from scratch by filling them with carrot strips and cabbage or you can purchase them frozen and only dry them in your kitchen.
Either way, such a meal can bring you a taste of Asian cuisine, regardless of where you are in the world.
11. Meatballs
Who doesn’t like meatballs?
They taste delicious and if you marinate them in a sauce of your choice (usually a red sauce), you will have one of the best comfort foods out there. But you can make this dish even tastier with a side of white rice.
The rice will add texture and taste to your meal and you will feel more satisfied. Not to mention that with such a mix, chances are that you will not be hungry for several hours!
12. Fish Fingers
Another fast dish that you can devour with a side of white rice is fish fingers. Choose a fish file you like and cut it into thin strips before you dip it in egg and breading.
You will have to fry the fish for a few minutes but you can also bake it if you are looking for a healthier option. Serve it with white rice and a sauce you love for a more wholesome meal.
13. Grilled Cheese
Not many people dare to grill their cheese they are not sure what type of cheese to choose for such a recipe. Halloumi is one of the best types of cheese you can grill but you can also go for Kefalotyri, Queso Panela, or Provolone.
Grill your cheese and add some herbs to enrich its taste before you pair it with your white rice. For vegetarians, this is one of the winning combinations, after veggies!
But even people who are not vegetarians tend to be charmed by the taste of grilled cheese and white rice.
14. Chicken Wings
Chicken wings might already be your favorite snack when you need a consistent treat. However, try eating them next to white rice and you will have a completely different culinary experience.
You can also add some of the sauce you added to your chicken wings to flavor your white rice and have them go together even better.
Chicken wings are easy to make and you can find several recipes to choose from. Moreover, this combination is great for a family dinner or when you have friends over.
15. Chicken Nuggets
Children love chicken nuggets and if you want to convince them to eat rice, adding a few chicken nuggets next to it might be one of the best strategies.
Moreover, don’t be surprised if you love chicken nuggets and rice just as much as your children. Although they are traditionally served with fries, chicken nuggets will compliment the taste of white rice just as well.
And you will come back to this type of meal, as it is tasty and easy to make.
16. Falafel
Falafel can be used in a variety of forms.
You can eat it as falafel balls which are a great substitute for the classic meatballs if you want to avoid meat. You can mix it with veggies and sauces of your choice and add the mix on top of the white rice.
Whatever you choose to do with your falafel, you can be sure the taste will be great. Especially if you add white rice which provides different texture and a mild level of sweetness.
17. Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are a staple in Italian cuisine. And one of the main ingredients of this traditional dish is white rice.
You will have to mix the rice with ground meat and carrots and season it with some onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and stuff your green or red bell peppers with this mix. Bake for 30 minutes and you will obtain a delicious meal to enjoy with your family.
18. Spicy Shrimp
Shrimp with chili or jalapenos will surprise you in combination with white rice.
You can fry or steam the shrimp and season it with the spices of your choice before you ad it on top of the rice. You can also use various sauces packed with flavors like sweet chili to compliment the entire dish and you got a dinner to remember!
19. Spinach
Spinach soup, stew or simply sautéed spinach can be a delicious option to complete your white rice meal.
We suggest a fried egg on top of your spinach to get an even more nutritious and tasty meal. But even without the egg, spinach and rice are one of the healthiest and tastiest meals you can have.
20. Seafood Cocktail
Seafood cocktails are commonly found in the frozen aisles of grocery stores worldwide.
All you have to do is fry them along with some olive oil and seasonings of choice. You can also boil or steam them. Finally, mix the seafood cocktail with white rice just as you would mix it with pasta, which is a more popular dish.
Keep in mind that seafood goes great with a white sauce such as a cheese-based sauce or even a carbonara mix.
What to Eat With White Rice Vegetarian?
If you are a vegetarian, all you have to do is choose a side dish that contains no meat from the list above. Rice with cream veggie soup or veggie stew is a great option.
We also recommend the rice white spinach side dish. You can skip the egg if you don’t want any animal ingredients.
Grilled cheese and barbecue vegetables can also make you have a tasty meal without meat in it.
What Goes With White Rice for Dinner?
When it comes to dinner, your rice will go great with meatballs, falafel, grilled chicken or Turkey curry chicken.
White rice and steak will not disappoint you either as it is one of the tastiest combinations.
What to Eat With White Rice Lunch?
Looking for the perfect lunch and you don’t know what to add to your white rice? While all the dishes above could be suitable for a great lunch, you want to pick something that will give you energy but not get you tired.
Therefore, spinach and rice or shrimp and rice as well as a seafood cocktail and rice could be great options for you!
Wrap Up
White rice in particular but all the other types of rice in general is a flexible ingredient that you can mix with almost anything you like.
So, allow you to be creative when you put together a meal with white rice.
And if you want to give your rice a more interesting color, add a tablespoon of turmeric as you are boiling it. This will give your white rice a yellow shade that will make your food even more appealing.
