31 pilaf recipes

Fluffy couscous pilaf with toasted coriander seeds, red bell pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon, finished with fresh mint. Served with a blended saffron cream of Neufchatel cheese and yogurt.

One-pot brown basmati rice pilaf loaded with mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. A dump-and-simmer weeknight dinner using whatever vegetables you have on hand.

One-pot black-eyed peas and barley pilaf simmered in vegetable stock with thyme and parsley. A hearty vegetarian main dish loaded with fiber and ready in 30 minutes.

Skinless Cornish hen halves basted with brandy, apple juice, and paprika, served over a cinnamon-scented wild rice pilaf with brandy-soaked raisins. Light, elegant, and feeds eight.

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Toasted millet casserole with chickpeas, broccoli, and onion. A hearty plant-based main packed with protein and fiber. Press into squares or serve as pilaf.

Bulgur wheat pilaf with chickpeas, cumin, sauteed onions, green pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh parsley. A hearty, vegan grain bowl ready in 30 minutes.

Kazakh rice combines ground lamb, slivered almonds, and dried apricots, dates, and prunes with garlic and onion in one pilaf-style pot. A Central Asian sweet-savory main or side.

Curried rice with lentils, raisins, and apples: a vegan Indian-inspired one-pot pilaf with turmeric, ginger, curry, and sunflower seeds. Fat-free, high-fiber comfort with sweet and savory in every bite.

One-dish baked pork chops on fruity rice pilaf with apples, oranges, and poultry seasoning for a retro weeknight dinner that cooks hands-off in the oven.

Raisin bulgur pilaf with cumin, made by soaking cracked wheat in boiling water for 30 minutes. Just 5 ingredients, no cooking, and diabetic-friendly. A simple, nutty side dish.

Rice pilaf salad tosses diced turkey, brown rice, chickpeas, kidney beans, apples, celery, and green olives into a protein-loaded chilled salad. Perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers or make-ahead lunches.

Stuffed monster zucchini is the answer to a giant garden zucchini: halved, hollowed, and packed with a savory cumin-thyme rice and lentil pilaf, then baked until tender. A hearty, frugal vegan main.

Ryzi me araka: traditional Greek rice and peas simmered with onion and olive oil in a one-pot pilaf. Simple, vegan, and a no-fuss weeknight side from the Greek home-cooking playbook.

While Schwartz describes the name for this Israeli dish as slightly pretentious, he notes that it won a cooking competition and found its way onto the menus of five star hotels. He recommends serving it over a bed or bulgur pilaf.