If there’s one thing I knew right away starting the SNAP Challenge, it was that I was going to have to bulk out my meals considerably with inexpensive beans and grains to stay under $4.50 of food per day. Instead of using plain old rice, I made a big batch of seasoned rice the first day, which I used as a base for multiple meals throughout the week (and maybe the whole month).
For the entire month of September, I’ll be participating in the SNAP Challenge and attempting to eat on $4.50 per day. Read more here.
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What Kind of Rice Can I Use?
You can use any type of rice you like, just be sure to adjust the water ratio and cooking time to match the directions on the package for the rice you’re using. I used long grain brown rice for this recipe, which adds a nice nutty flavor and is also very filling. Jasmine rice is another great option because it has even more flavor, but it does come at a higher cost. I would avoid medium or short grain rices for this recipe since those tend to be very sticky.
Can I Make This in a Rice Maker?
Yes, just add the seasonings (garlic powder, thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt) to the rice maker along with the rice and water, then use the rice maker as you normally would.
What Do You Serve with Seasoned Rice?
You can serve seasoned rice as a side dish to something like Salisbury Steak, Turkey Taco Skillet, Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs, Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms. Or you can use the seasoned rice as a flavorful base for a bowl meal, like Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables, BBQ Beef and Beans, or Roasted Brussels Sprout Bowls.
How Long Does Seasoned Rice Stay Good?
When the cooked rice is cooled and stored properly, it will stay good in your refrigerator for about four days, or you can freeze for about three months. Because cooked rice is one of the more common sources of food poisoning, it is important to take the proper steps with your leftover rice.
How to Store Leftover Rice
Anytime you save leftovers of cooked rice, it’s really important to divide and chill the leftovers as quickly as possible. Rice can naturally contain a bacteria called Bacillus cereus, which has spores that are resistant to cooking. Bacillus cereus contamination does not produce any visible signs or smells, so it’s of utmost importance that rice be cooled properly immediately after cooking. Transfer your cooked rice to a new container (do not leave it in the hot container it was cooked in), divide the rice into smaller portions if cooked in a large batch, and then place it in the refrigerator to cool. Do not let your rice sit out at room temperature. The goal is to cool the rice to below 40ºF in under two hours, so the sooner it gets in the fridge, the better.
Seasoned Rice
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 cups long grain brown rice ($0.80)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 4 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Combine the rice, garlic powder, thyme, red pepper, salt, and water in a heavy bottomed pot. Give it a brief stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Place a lid on the pot and bring the water up to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest with the lid in place for 5 minutes more.
- After 5 minutes without heat, fluff the rice and serve, or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Seasoned Rice – Step by Step Photos
In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine 2 cups of rice, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and ¾ tsp salt.
Add four cups of water to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid, then place it over high heat. Allow the pot to come to a full boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn the heat off and allow it to rest and continue to steam in the residual heat for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, fluff the rice and serve.
It may not seem very revolutionary, but when working with a limited budget, it’s important to make sure every meal is as satisfying as possible. I plan to eat pretty much the same thing throughout the week, so I have to make sure it’s damn delicious so that I keep coming back! Ha!
Something different and I just added butter
I haven’t made this….yet. However I plan to serve it in a couple weeks when family comes. I decided I’ll make it ahead of time, so I don’t spend much time in the kitchen. I’m serving it with salmon and greenbeans. What is the best way to heat up the rice?
Quick an ez and really packs a punch with the crushed red pepper, awesome flavor, thanks!
I love making this rice dish as a side! I’ve made it many times and it’s still tasty. I usually add 1/2 tsp onion powder to give it a little more flavor. I don’t handle spicy foods well so I leave out the chili flakes and add a pinch of cayenne powder for flavoring instead. In my latest batch, I added half a bag of frozen peas and let it cook with the rice. Super cheap, delicious, and you get some more veggies in your diet. Great recipe!
When using McCormick Caribbean Jerk seasoning, how much do you use for this recipe?
I’ve never used that seasoning blend for this, so unfortunately I don’t know.
Can yellow rice be used? Maybe someone asked this already, but in my scanning through comments I didn’t see.
You could probably do this with just about any type of rice. Just make sure to use the appropriate amount of water and cooking time suggested on your rice package.
Wow, I didn’t know that rice was one of the easiest ways to get food poisoning, thank you so much for that information and tips to stay safe.
You got food poisoning from rice ? That’s terrible . Didn’t know that was possible either
This recipe has the best ratio of liquid to rice! My basmati rice has never come out fluffy before. I officially have no need for Rice a Roni! I’ve made rice hundreds of times but this is the best texture it’s ever had.
I do’t use brown rice. Do you think white rice would taste good in this recipe? TY
Can you sub in cauliflower rice? If so, how would you season it? After it is cooked?
Yes you can sub cauliflower rice. And I’d season after cooking. But I’ve not tried it that way exactly so you’ll have to let us know!
I wasn’t even looking for budget meals, I just wanted tasty rice to go with some other food I was making- but this really nails it either way.
Ended up using a chicken stock cube and used 2cups water and 1 cup rice instead. Didn’t need too much. And didn’t have Thyme so used parsley and oregano- so I ended up changing a lot, but the rice is really fluffy with those instructions!
Usually it ends up being mush for me. So, thanks for that!
I love this article! However, I wanted to make any SNAP challenge participant aware that some individuals who use SNAP have to buy a limited amount of ingredients. Yea, 1/2 tsp garlic powder may cost $.05 but the whole jar of spice itself could be $3.50. I think anyone wanted to make the challenge even more “real” they could try using only what they can buy with the SNAP budget for each month. I remember a time when I relied on SNAP and it was difficult eating the same foods over and over but its all I could afford to do. Hopefully in the future there is a way we could build grocery stores accessible all around the country that let you buy stuff in small quantities. For example, if you need 1 cup of flour for a recipe but you know that is the only time you’ll need flour anytime soon you should be able to go to a store and scoop out a cup of flour into a bag , have it weighed, and boom you’re done. I believe some Whole Foods locations do this but I’ve never lived within reasonable proximity of one.
Yes, I agree. I definitely talked a lot about this in my weekly reflections during the SNAP challenge. I had a LOT of benefits/advantages that many people who are not on SNAP do not have. And even with all those advantages, it was still super hard and taxing on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. :(
I’d like to cook this but jasmine rice is a bit expensive, any alternatives?
You can definitely use regular long grain white rice as well. :)
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I prefer brown basmati rice. Should be fine. I know how to cook it so that it comes out nice & fluffy.
This recipe is great; thank you.
However, I burnt the first batch that u made because I followed the instructions precisely and didn’t stir at any point.
Perhaps it might be worth mentioning it somewhere in the steps to save other people suffering the same (embarrassing) fate that I did!
Stirring the rice usually makes it a bit gummy. Instead I would try turning the heat down a bit or trying to use a pot with a thicker bottom that distributes the heat more evenly.
I just made this tonight. It’s delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Thanks to you helping me learn how to cook in college, I felt empowered to make a few changes to this recipe for my dinner tonight!
Here are the changes I made that were pretty great!
Halved the recipe and used regular white rice, butter, and fresh garlic.
I heated the butter in the pan and sauteed the garlic for maybe 30sec-1min. Then I added the rice and other spices and stirred for another minute or two. I added the water and cooked according to the package.
Finally, I topped it off with a little kosher salt. It was delish! Thanks so much for another winner Beth!