Rice vs pasta for bulk meals: which actually saves more? I ran the numbers

So I was planning meals for the month and got curious which grain stretches further. I looked up the USDA cost per pound data and found dry rice is about $0.70 a pound while dry pasta is $1.20. But then I cooked both and weighed them out. A pound of rice makes about 11 cups cooked, but a pound of pasta only makes about 8 cups. So rice gives you roughly 40% more volume for almost half the price. That blew my mind because I always thought pasta was the cheaper option. Anyone else crunch these numbers or am I overthinking this?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

cora5624mo ago

Rice is the clear winner. Been bulk cooking for years and rice just goes further with less money spent. Pasta is fine for a treat but rice is the real budget hero.

3

anderson.cora4mo ago

Get yourself a rice cooker with a steamer basket, changes the whole game when bulk cooking.

-1