Why I Always Stock Up on Aldi’s 90-Second Rice Packets

The busier my family gets, the more I lean into simple, healthy dinners that can be prepared quickly. My husband and I both work, and our teens are juggling school, social lives and part-time jobs, so on the rare occasion when we can all sit down to a meal together, I’d much prefer spending time with my family than standing over the stove.

It’s with this dinnertime strategy in mind that I usually shop for groceries these days. Using the old adage that it’s better to circle the outer perimeter of the store for the bulk of your ingredients, I gravitate toward fresh produce and meats, grabbing what’s seasonal, with plans to fill in any gaps with items from my pantry.

The Aldi Shortcut I Turn to for a Healthy Side Dish

Recent dinners in my home have included meals like pork loin with roasted veggies, brown rice and quinoa or chicken with broccoli and jasmine rice. Both meals have started with inspiration from fresh ingredients at the store but were finished with a pantry item I always buy at Aldi and keep in my kitchen: Simply Nature 90-second packages of rice.

Aldi’s Simply Nature line is made up of organic and/or non-GMO verified foods and drinks, still available at Aldi’s low prices. With no artificial ingredients in its products, I always trust Simply Nature items, from cage-free brown eggs to organic blue corn chips, when feeding my family. When I stumbled upon 90-second, microwavable bags of rice from the line, I stocked up and have continued to do so for years—especially since they cost just over $2 per bag.

Two Varieties of Organic Rice, Ready in 90 Seconds

There are two varieties of microwavable, 90-second rice available from Simply Nature, both of which are non-GMO, organic and stored in BPA-free packaging. The first is a blend of quinoa and brown rice, made of organic brown rice, organic red quinoa and organic garlic. The second is jasmine rice, fragrant Thai Hom Mali rice that’s slightly sticky and white in color.

Both are designed for fast, microwave cooking: simply tear a small vent in one side of the bag and microwave for 90 seconds to heat through. The packages also have skillet instructions, which involve adding some water to a pan, adding the rice and heating it through, but I’ve long relied on my microwave for these rice packages, both for time and ease and to save on dirty dishes.

How I Use Aldi’s Simply Nature 90-Second Rice

Both rices are my go-to for a quick, stress-free side dish. My recent dinner of pork loin and roasted veggies was made complete by tossing roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with a heated pack of brown rice and quinoa for a fast side dish. My Asian-inspired honey-garlic chicken bowls started with a bed of white, 90-second jasmine rice, which I topped with steamed broccoli and marinated chicken. When using these organic rice packets, there’s no need to boil water and wait 20 to 30 minutes for rice to cook—everything is taken care of in less than two minutes.

These rices have come in handy for all sorts of dinnertime scenarios, from providing a quick grain-based side dish to saving the day when my teens, who would live on an all-carbohydrate diet if I let them, express disappointment that there’s no carb-laden side dish prepared with our dinner. “Grab some rice and microwave it,” I tell them, and the problem is solved.

Both varieties of rice have their health benefits too. Brown rice wins over white when it comes to many B vitamins and phosphorus, but white rice can be higher in folic acid and iron than brown due to enrichment. Both types are similar in calories, but brown rice has more protein and fiber. And at the end of the day, both are great choices for a side dish—especially if they get my teenagers to also chomp on veggies and lean proteins.

The Bottom Line

These affordable packages of microwavable rice are something I always keep in my pantry for those times when I want a healthy, organic, flavorful side dish for my family. They heat up in just 90 seconds and contain about 2 cups of rice each—offering a perfect serving of rice for everyone in my family without any leftovers, something I also appreciate as someone who tries to limit food waste.

Aldi’s Simply Nature 90-second rice packages are worth picking up on your next Aldi run. You may use them right away for a quick weeknight meal, or you may find that they save the day when you’re short on time and looking for a healthy side dish for your dinner. And at just over $2 per 8.8-ounce bag, they’re worth stocking up on—especially if you end up loving them as much as I do.