Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Rice Bowl

published August 22, 2015 — last updated March 8, 2024

It’s time for the kids, big and small, to head back to school. We’ve partnered with Minute® Ready to Serve Rice to come up with some simple recipes for busy days. This Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Rice Bowl is going to make hot lunches, and after school, or between classes snacks so easy.

Well guys, this is it, the last day of summer vacation. On Monday kids go back to school. My niece is starting college, and my little boy will be getting on the bus for the first time. Big changes for everyone! This week we had school orientation and I do feel better now that I have met his teacher and the principal. I even signed up to be on the PTA, woohoo! I know you won’t believe me but being on the PTA was something I always wanted to do. Yes, I’m aware I’m a weirdo.

Anyways, we’ve been sharing a lot of casserole and quick dinner ideas around here as I prepare for the school year but today I want to talk about lunch. I started thinking about it when my niece told me her college class schedule. It is crazy. There are a couple of days a week when she only has a 30 minute break in the afternoon. That doesn’t give her a lot of time to make herself anything to eat. No one wants to eat sandwiches every single day. So, being the sweet aunt that I am I came up with a few quick lunch ideas that she can make with Minute® Ready to Serve Rice. This stuff is pretty awesome! The rice comes in cups that are a single serving, so you can control your portion size (always something I need help with!) and just like the name says, it is ready to serve. Pop it in the microwave for 60 seconds to warm it up and you have rice that is ready to eat, or you can mix in a few additional ingredients and you have a whole meal.

Now, my niece is in college, living in a dorm room, so I wanted to keep the ingredients simple. American cheese, milk, slices of ham, and broccoli. Everything is cut into small pieces and everything is cooked using the microwave. The broccoli is microwaved, with a little bit of water, for 1 minute. The cheese is mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk and microwaved until it is melted (1 – 2 minutes). Finally you microwave the Minute® Ready to Serve Rice (1 minute). Then all the ingredients are mixed together for a deliciously cheesy hot meal.

She can eat it in her dorm room or throw it in a container and take it with her for on the days she has evening classes. Minute® Ready to Serve Rice isn’t just white rice, it comes in a wide variety including: Brown Rice, Brown & Wild Rice and Multi-Grain Medley, Jasmine Rice, White Rice, Chicken Rice Mix, Yellow Rice Mix, and Fried Rice Mix. They even have a new Minute Ready to Serve Black Beans & Rice that is ready in just 90 seconds. So even when she doesn’t have time to add the other ingredients she can still throw a cup of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice in her bag and warm it up for a quick meal or snack. She’s got to keep her strength up for all of those late nights studying!

Servings: 1

Cook Time: 4

Total Time: 4