Mexican Rice
I wanted a nice side dish to pair with a tasty Southwestern-style salad and grilled chicken I was serving for dinner. My son suggested rice so I went in search of a Mexican rice recipe. I found one over at Favorite Family Recipes that looked and sounded perfect. I only adapted it a little bit by adding sautéed onions. The rice was subtle but delicious and we all loved it. This will be my go-to Mexican rice recipe.
How to Make Mexican Rice
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, rice, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir often for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, and half of the cilantro; stir until well combined. Turn the heat up to high until it boils. Reduce to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat (WITHOUT REMOVING THE LID) and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining cilantro and fluff with a fork. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain rice uncooked
- 2 tbsp sweet yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- ½ tsp cumin
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 ¾ cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, rice, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir often for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, and half of the cilantro; stir until well combined. Turn the heat up to high until it boils. Reduce to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat (WITHOUT REMOVING THE LID) and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining cilantro and fluff with a fork. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Mexican Rice is one of the dishes I can have alone with no chicken or beef on the side. I love how the rice take all the flavors and the aroma is just amazing! Yummy pic 🙂
I haven’t made Mexican rice in years… not sure why, just one of those things that took a backseat…. thanks for the reminder though. Will definitely try this recipe when I finally make it again!
I love this way to make rice more fun! I’m always so boring with it.
Over the years, as I’ve eaten meals in TexMex restaurants that come with rice and refried beans, I’ve learned to request double beans as I rarely like the rice. I’ve tried making it at home and it’s more to my liking, but have yet to find THE recipe (I’m lukewarm on most rice dishes anyway). Yours looks very good and with your recommendation, we’ll give it a try.
I’ve been making sopa de arroze for over fifty yrars.
This recipe is just like the one my family from central Mexico makes except we don’t use black pepper. My dad’s family from northern Mexico browns the rice SLIGHTLY befor continiing with the recipe. Using Heinz or hunts tomayo sauce keeps the sopa from tasting sweet.
Cilantro and thin lengthwise sliced fresh jalapenos have been added for parties by my now 27 and 30 year old sons ( who have been cooking gor over 15 years) for presentation. Their friends always ask them to bring sopa de arroz when the guys get together to watch a game. You bet I’ m proud that my sons are self sufficient!
I can eat this Mexican rice as the main!
Think you could freeze this? I’ve never frozen rice before. If so, just defrost and microwave to warm up? Thanks!
Kasey,
I’ve never tried freezing rice so I am not sure how it would turn out. If you do it, please let me know how it works.
Thanks,
Pam
Who’d have ever thought the girl from Idaho would be such a master of Mexican cooking! Looks like a great rice side.
I love rice plus cilantro every single time but I love this new take with the tomato sauce. Can’t wait to try it!
Your Mexican rice looks so great! I love the inclusion of the cilantro and also the cumin and cayenne for the heat. When I make Mexican rice, I use El Pato Tomato Sauce (a Mexican chile tomato sauce). Have you ever tried that before? It may be too hot for the kiddos but perfect for mom & dad hee hee 🙂 My recipe is from my nana — it is identical to the Mexican-style quinoa recipe I just posted (except with rice, of course) if you wanted to try it out!
El. Pato or El Paso tomato sauce.
I think that El Paso has added sugar which makes sopa de arroz too sweet. I use Heinz or Hunts tomato sauce. All of the other national and store brands take away from the neutral but not boring simplicity of sopa de arroz.
Haply Cinco de Mayo a d Happy Mother’s Day.
Su amistad Mexicana.
This looks delicious, Pam, as does the chicken you paired with it. I hope you post the salad tomorrow so I can make the entire meal this weekend!
Kim,
I’ll be posting a Super Bowl round-up tomorrow but the salad will post on Monday. Send me an e-mail if you want me to send the recipe to you earlier.
Pam
Hubbs says I can’t make mex rice worth beans, now I’ve got ammo 🙂 looks fabulous. Have you tried this in a rice cooker? Think it might get toasted on bottom?
I don’t have a rice cooker and I have never used one so I am not sure how it would turn out. Sorry!
Pam
Just made this and it was fantastic. Thank you for a your delicious recipes.
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