Review: Uncle Ben's Rice & Grains

By Grocerygems @grocerygems

Uncle Ben's have launched a range of easy to prepare Rice & Grains mixes. There are five varieties in the range: Wholegrain & Quinoa, Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil, 5 Wholegrains, Rice Medley, and Pearl Wheat, Quinoa & Wholegrain. Each pack is microwaveable in 2 minutes and contains no artificial flavours, preservatives or colours. 

5 Whole Grains: Even though I usually make rice myself, I do like keeping a few of these ready-made pouches for quick and healthy midweek meals. The addition of quinoa and wholegrains makes the whole range even more appealing and I was keen to try the Uncle Ben's Rice & Grains 5 Whole Grains, which is a combination of Wholegrain Rice, Wild Rice, Barley, Millet and Red Quinoa. 
I was sent several different recipes for using the Uncle Beans Rice & Grains, and this Mixed Bean and 5 Wholegrain salad looked especially appealing. It's a super easy and delicious recipe which creates a lovely summery meal. The different grains give the rice a gorgeous flavor whilst still keeping a light and fluffy texture.

Mixed Bean and 5 Wholegrain Salad
1 pouch 5 Wholegrains200g mixed beans1 small red onion, sliced1 red pepper, sliced100g French Beans
  • Bring a pot of water to the boil and plunge the French beans in the boiling water for 1 minute before cooling under a running cold tap.
  • Microwave  5 Wholegrains pouch according to instructions.
  • Bring 5 Wholegrains together with the cooled French beans, mixed beans, red onion and red pepper. Spoon onto plate to serve.


Rice Medley: The Wholegrain Rice Medley is a mix of steamed wholegrain rice, steamed red rice and steamed wild rice. It's lightly flavoured with black pepper and bouillon.

Stir-fried Chicken, Red Pepper, Onion and Wholegrain Rice Medley
1 pouch Wholegrain Rice Medley300g Chicken1 Red Pepper1 onionBroccoli Florets (2 x handful)Some olive oilSome Lemon Juice, Ginger and Honey to season
  • Cut the chicken, pepper, and onion into thin strips. Stir fry in a little olive oil until the chicken strips are brown and the pepper and onion softer.
  • Add the rice, stir through for 2 minutes.
  • Add the lemon juice, ginger and honey at the end to garnish.
  • Gently steam the broccoli florets. Add to the plate together with the stir fried rice, chicken and vegetables.


Wholegrain & Quinoa: This is a combination of gently steamed wholegrain rice (85%) and red quinoa (12%) with a hint of garlic. I really enjoyed all the Uncle Ben's Rice & Quinoa combinations - the texture is so light and fluffy and I love the flavor of the wholegrain rice.
Grilled Chicken with vegetables, Wholegrain & Quinoa
1 pouch Wholegrain & Quinoa2 Chicken Breasts1 Courgette sliced100g mange tout1 small red chilli, finely sliced
  • Brush the chicken with olive oil and grill for 20 minutes, turning halfway. (Ensure chicken is thoroughly cooked.
  • Meanwhile steam the courgette sliced and the mangetout lightly.
  • Microwave the Wholegrain & Quinoa pouch according to instructions on pack.
  • Arrange rice on plate, place grilled chicken on top and courgette and mange tout on the side. Garnish with red chilli slices.



Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil: This was my favorite of all the five varieties - I'm a big fan of tomato rice and the flavours of tomato, basil and garlic work together really well here. 

Pan-fried salmon with tomato, pak choi and Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil.
1 pouch Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil2 Salmon darnes25g butter & 15g for pak choi100g cherry tomatoes1 pak choi1 red onion, sliced1 lemon sliced for juice/garnishSalt and pepper to taste.
  • Melt butter in frying pan. Season the salmon with freshly ground salt and pepper then add to hot pan and squeeze a little lemon on top. Fry the salmon for 2-3 minutes on one side, then 1-2 minutes on the other.
  • Meanwhile, blanch the pak choi in salted water for 2-3 minutes before sauteing it in butter for 3 minutes.
  • Microwave Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil pouch according to pack instructions.
  • Arrange rice, pak choi, cherry tomatoes and onion on plate and place salmon to top. Garnish with lemon slices.


Pearl Wheat Quinoa & Wholegrain: This is a tasty combination of steamed wholegrain rice (73%), steamed pearl wheat (12%) and steamed red quinoa (11%). 

Grilled Halloumi, Red Pepper and Rocket with Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat & Quinoa
1 pouch Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat & QuinoaA bag of rocket salad.Half a pack of Halloumi Cheese1 Red PepperSome Olive OilSome Pine Nuts
  • Heat a non-stick frying pan or griddle pan. Cut halloumi into 6-8 slices and cook quickly on each side for 2 mins until lightly browned.
  • Microwave Wholegrain, Pearl What & Quinoa pouch according to pack instructions.
  • Arrange rice, halloumi and salad on plate. Garnish with slices of red pepper and a few pine nuts.


Overall, I would highly recommend the Uncle Ben's Rice & Grains range. They were all very tasty and are a useful store cupboard ingredient for creating quick and healthy meals.

I enjoyed all the varieties but my favorite was the Wholegrain & Quinoa Tomato & Basil. Above is my super quick dinner with half a pack of the tomato flavoured rice, with two veggie sausages and a simple salad. Delicious!
PR Samples.