Four Easy Baby Food Ideas Using Leftover Rice

So… you’ve made too much rice for the family meal and you have quite a bit leftover. Need some ideas for using it up?

Here are some easy baby food ideas using leftover rice that your baby will enjoy and could be served to the rest of the family too!

Please note: These ideas will work well with either white or brown rice – but brown rice is much more nutritious!

And please read our page – Is It Dangerous to Reheat Rice? – for some important food safety information.

Baby Food Ideas Using Leftover Rice

• Add the rice to baby’s soup. It will add ‘bulk’ to the dish (making a more satisfying meal) and will also make it easier for your baby to feed the soup to himself if he prefers a little independence at the dinner table! If you use brown rice, it will add lots of nutrients too.
• Use the rice to stuff a tomato or half a red bell pepper.  Simply cut the top off a tomato and carefully spoon out the flesh/seeds (or removed the seeds from a halved bell pepper). Then stuff with a mixture of cooked rice, sauted onion (optional) and cooked, chopped veggies that your baby loves. You can add herbs if you wish, or try topping the mixture with cheese. Brush with olive oil and bake at 375 deg F (180 deg C) for 20-30 mins. Although fiddly, we like to use the smallest tomatoes we can – then we serve them as a finger food, ideal for older babies!
• Use it to make rice fritters, another fantastic finger food for older babies already enjoying whole eggs, and perfect for baby led weaning. Just mix 1 cup  cooked rice with 3/4 cup corn kernels, 1 small can of tuna (or other canned fish), 3 beaten eggs and a teaspoon of fresh, chopped dill.  Chill for one hour. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan/skillet, then spoon in the mixture, forming separate little mounds. Flatten with a spatula and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden. You can substitute some of the corn with other cooked veggies your little one enjoys!
• Make an easy sweet rice pudding. Mix 1/2 cup leftover rice with 1 cup of milk (breastmilk, formula or whole milk) in a small saucepan. Add a handful of  raisins and simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 egg yolks, 1 ripe banana (mashed), a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla (optional). Transfer to a small oven-proof dish and bake for 20 mins at 350 deg F (175 deg C). Delicious!

Do you have any interesting ways of incorporating leftover rice (or other ingredients) into your baby food recipes? Do leave a comment and let us know!