Leftover rice muffins are a versatile and easy to make finger food, ideal for school lunches, a grab n’go summer picnic item or as an unique appetizer for party guests.
These simple yet tasty leftover rice muffins are loaded with creamy mozzarella cheese, chopped Italian prosciutto, homemade black olive tapenade and earthy oregano.
On Sundays, I usually make a large batch of rice or quinoa for the week then just add a variety of condiments on a day by day basis.
On this particular night during dinner prep, (after having realized that the quantity of rice I had made exceeded the ratio of sauteed veggies for my risotto) I set some rice aside and stored it in the fridge for a later date…and then forgot about it for a few days!
Any attempt to waste less food is a priority of mine so when I discovered the rice in the fridge after a few days I decided to whip up with this recipe, which is loosely based on my recipe for Quinoa Pizza Muffins.
My kids loved these! I kept the recipe simple by adding a few of their favourite ingredients and upsold the ‘finger food’ factor. They devoured them! Besides being healthy and tasty, they hold together really well and are fun to eat (even for moms and dads!).
The condiment variations are endless! Combine any of your favourite ingredients such as tomato sauce, diced cherry tomatoes, black or green olives, scallions, fresh basil or parsley, chopped chicken, smoked salmon, feta or goat cheese, mushrooms, broccoli n’ cheddar, the list goes on.
Instead of a paper liner, use supermarket bought Greek filo dough to line the cupcake pan or a ramekin. It adds a crispy addition to the rice. First use an oil spray or thin coat of butter to grease the pan.
These look so yummy! I never would have thought of making muffins out of rice. Great idea!
Thank you! They’re a great option for kids and baby-led weaning too!
What an easy looking recipe. These would be great as an appetizer at a party!
It is very easy to prepare! I’m going to make them for a dinner party but I’ll add some more gourmet-like ingredients, such as Brie cheese, pesto, etc.
Such a great idea, I had no idea you could do any such thing, I am going got try this out
What a great idea! I never would’ve thought to do that with the leftover rice but it’s perfect. Thanks for sharing.
These look so good. I want some shrimp now. 🙂
Oh yummy!! I could definitely see myself making this. I always make too much rice and then make the old standby, fried rice. lol. This will be a nice change!
I make fried rice often too but the kids just love this option…it’s fun for them to eat!
Omg these are great! I’m one of those people who always cooks wayyy too much rice and pasta. I need to try this next time with my leftover rice!
If you tend to make too much rice you should make a large batch (plain) and then add condiment as needed throughout the week!
Rice is a part of my everyday meal and I can’t last a day without it. But I certainly had no clue that I could make muffins out of it. Brilliant! I will make this soon!
Same for my daughter…she could eat rice every single day!
I like that they have a little cheese in them too. These would be a great treat for the kiddos, I’m thinking even for afterschool!
Of course, the cheese makes them tastier but it also helps hold them together 😉
I love rice, but never cooked it like this before. I think this is an awesome use of left overs!
It’s a great time-saving recipe too! You can prepare the ric eon the weekend and then just whip these up on a busy weeknight for dinner!
I have a huge love for rice and never know what to do with my leftovers. This is the perfect solution for me!
Ha, that’s a great idea. I usually make fried rice out of left over rice but never thought of making a muffin.
http://www.spice-up-your-life.net/
I also make fried rice quite often…but these are definitely more fun to eat for the kids!
Wow these look great! I would love to make these, I bet my kids would love them. Lots of rice lovers in my house!
I would gladly have several of those! 😉 I do like the quinoa idea too. How fun!
I actually prefer the quinoa muffins, but then again I am addicted to quinoa, lol!
Omg those muffins look so good! Never really thought of doing this. You’re a one creative woman!
Thank you! Anything to not waste food 😉
This looks good. We eat rice on a daily basis and I usually make garlic rice or fried rice with our leftovers. This is a new way to serve left over rice. Thanks!
Fried rice is one of my go-to recipes for leftover rice too!
Those look delicious! I have to say, I would have never thought to make rice muffins.
I’ve tried making these first with quinoa (the link is posted) so I figured rice would work too.
This is an awesome idea. Never would have thought about doing that before and I never know what to do with leftover rice. FUN!
What a cool idea! I have never heard of anything like this! Thanks so much for sharing this, what a great way to reduce waste and make something new!
I never know what to do with leftover rice. These look amazing! Much better than just trying to reheat it lol.
I definitely think we all need inspiration for leftovers so as to not waste as much food as we do!
Thanks so much for sharing this great idea! We always have leftover rice, and this is a complete meal in a cute little package.
This is the best idea I’ve seen in a while. We always have leftover rice, and I never know what to do with it!
Wow, nice to hear! Enjoy 😉
These have my name written all over them … all the way down to the olive tapenade! I love transforming leftovers. This will definitely find it’s way into my repertoire!
This is one of my favourite ways to reinvent leftovers!
These look so good! I’ve always thrown out our leftover rice when I make it but I won’t make that mistake again! Thanks for sharing!
You could even make these if you have leftover risotto…just add cheese and eggs!
Oh my gosh, I love you so much. I definitely cannot wait to make these for my family. They will love them.
Lol!! I hope you love them as much as we do!