Leftover Rice Muffins

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.

Leftover Rice Muffins

2015-07-03

Servings: 12 muffins

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 15-20 min

By: Lisa Codina

Ingredients

1 large organic egg + 1 egg white, whisked
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbs. black olive tapenade
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (optional)
1/4 tsp. sea salt and black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. When mixed together the rice should be sticky but not too wet. Arborio rice is the best option since it maintains it’s density and stickiness, as opposed to long grain or brown rice which might overcook and dry out easily when cooked twice.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray generously with cooking spray. Dollop 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture into each cup, filling the paper liner almost to the top. Pat the rice down with the back of the spoon so it’s unform and slightly compacted.

Cook for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each muffin comes out clean. The muffins will seem somewhat wet from the melted cheese but should be firm and spongy to the touch.

Leftover Rice Muffins

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes before removing the paper liners. If they are too hot the rice will stick to the paper while you remove it! Store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Leftover Rice Muffins

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