Crusty Rice with Tofu and Vegetables - $8.39 a serving

Name: Crusty Rice with Tofu and Vegetables
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups water; 1 cup brown rice; 3 cups prepared rice; 1 pound tofu; 1 cup frozen corn (unthawed); 1 cup frozen peas (unthawed); 6 scallions (sliced including white and green parts); 1 carrot (shredded); 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Makes 4 servings · asian · medium · USDA MyPlate Kitchen (public domain)

$33.55

basket total, in-store

$8.39

per serving (4 servings)

+$3.76

dearer than the $4.62 median dinner

What it costs at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine

Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 3 pantry staples excluded. 3 matches are flagged for you to check rather than silently swapped. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.

The recipe says	We found	Package	Uses	Costs	Left over
1 cup brown rice	Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · 16 oz	$0.99	195 g	$0.43	$0.56
3 cups prepared riceCHECK THIS	Bibigo Cooked Sticky White Rice · 7.41 ozx3	$3.79	585 g	$10.55	$0.82
1 pound tofu	Simple Truth Organic® Extra Firm Tofu Twin Pack · 2 ctSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED	$2.19	454 g	$2.19	-
1 cup frozen corn (unthawed)	Kroger® Frozen Super Sweet Corn · 12 oz	$1.29	150 g	$0.57	$0.72
1 cup frozen peas (unthawed)CHECK THIS	Kroger® Frozen Sweet Green Peas · 12 oz	$1.29	145 g	$0.55	$0.74
6 scallions (sliced including white and green parts)CHECK THIS	Green Onions · 1 ctx6	$1.79	6	$10.74	-
1 carrot (shredded)	Carrots · 1 lb	$1.69	1	$0.22	$1.47
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves	Gotham Greens® Fresh Basil · 1.25 oz	$3.99	10 g	$1.13	$2.86

Where the money goes

prepared rice drives this basket at $11.37, 34% of the total. The next biggest lines are scallions ($10.74) and fresh basil ($3.99). $7.17 of the basket - 21% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.

What carries into next week

Carrots · about 394 g left, $1.47 of value
Bibigo Cooked Sticky White Rice · about 45 g left, $0.82 of value
Kroger® Frozen Sweet Green Peas · about 195 g left, $0.74 of value
Kroger® Frozen Super Sweet Corn · about 190 g left, $0.72 of value
Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · about 259 g left, $0.56 of value

This blend of tofu and cooked rice combines corn, peas, carrots, and seasonings pressed into a skillet and cooked into "crispy" goodness.

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
3 cups prepared rice
1 pound tofu
1 cup frozen corn (unthawed)
1 cup frozen peas (unthawed)
6 scallions (sliced including white and green parts)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

To make the rice, cook rice according to the directions on the package. Set aside to cool and dry out.
Put the tofu, corn, scallions, carrot, basil, and salt in the bowl and mix well.
When the rice has fully cooled, add it to the bowl with the tofu and mix well.
Put the skillet over medium high heat and when it is hot, add the oil.
Add the rice and tofu mixture; reduce heat to low and press down the rice mixture with a spatula. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Press down again to help form a crust. Flip portions of the rice so that you get chunks of crispy rice. Cook until crispy, up to 20 minutes.

USDA MyPlate Kitchen. MyPlate took its recipe pages offline in 2026 - the original lives on at the Internet Archive. More on this: The protein math behind beans and rice.

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