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In preparation for Cinco de Mayo, here is a recipe for Spanish Rice! This rice makes any Taco Tuesday more exciting (although any kind of tacos are already VERY exciting by themselves, in my book). This is a great side to any Mexican dish and it is easy peasy. Lots of substitutions for what you have, and some Sloth Shortcuts to make this rice any day of the week!

If you’re looking for a way to make yet another rice meal (hello quarantine pantry), here ya go. I don’t always have the energy to make a side if I have ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED MAKING A MAIN DISH. THIS IS A MAJOR FEAT. What more can someone expect of me.

However, this rice is super yummy, and I like eating it, so I do make this one quite a bit. Making some rice as a side is also nice if you’re looking to stretch your main dish a little further. If you use some of the sloth shortcuts, you can throw this together really quickly, OR it freezes really well completely prepared. Then you can pull some out of the freezer while you’re making some tacos- check out the tips below on reheating frozen rice so it’s not sad and weird.

Most of the time at my house though, this rice doesn’t make it to the freezer because the leftovers are YES PLEASE. I love making a huge batch of this for dinner and then eating the leftovers with some beans for lunch during the week. Quick, cheap, and yummy! Name a better trio, I’ll wait.

This rice goes really well with:

• Tacos, any kind! These barbacoa tacos or fish tacos would be great.
• Enchiladas
• Taco Bowls
• A simple rice and bean bowl
• Inhaling it straight out of the pan with a spoon

Here’s what you’ll need:

Uncooked, long grain white rice

I like white rice for this- you could probably use brown rice to be a little healthier but it will taste a little different and the cook time will vary. I prefer long grain white rice here because it holds its texture a little better than short grain… but use what you have! It’s not the end of the world if you use some other kind of rice.

ALSO. Have some leftover cooked rice you’re wondering what to do with? Or cooked rice in the freezer? (I try to keep cooked rice in the freezer for recipes like this). You can FOR SURE use it in this recipe- see the recipe notes. To use cooked rice, you’ll just use less liquid and it will be SO FAST because your rice is already cooked! Winning. Now, which is better- cooked or uncooked rice? I feel like there’s a little more flavor to start with the uncooked rice because it cooks in all the spices and broth, but BOTH ARE GOOD. At least half the time, I use cooked rice because it is so fast.

Whatever kind of rice you use, make sure you rinse your rice before cooking it! This has been enGRAINed in me (I’m sorry, I had to do it) by my Japanese American family. It rinses off any starch that will make it kind of gummy when it cooks. IT MAKES IT BETTER. Does everyone do this? I don’t know. It was taught to me at a very young age to RINSE THE RICE. Will it be the end of the world if you don’t do this? Definitely no. Will you be worried your Japanese grandma will come at you asking if you RINSED THE RICE?? For you, probably no, but who knows. Maybe just rinse it, just in case?

Onion, Oil, and Spices

Next, the good smells. Sauté some diced onion in some oil (any kind, but I like avocado oil) – mmmmm the best smell in the world. YUM. Then you’ll add all of your spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper) along with the rice. Let everything cook together for a bit until it’s smelling REAL GOOD.

Liquids

Dump in some canned tomato sauce – this is important to get that nice red color to the rice. You could also use a few tablespoons of tomato paste if you have that instead. I try to keep some tomato paste in the freezer- if I have a recipe that just used a little bit, I’ll put the rest in ziplock bag in the freezer. Then I’ll break off a chunk and throw it in the pan, all frozen like.

Next, some chicken broth. Instead of chicken broth, I always use this chicken base and water. It seems easier in my brain. Stir everything up, cover it, and let it simmer until the rice is done. I usually check on it a few times and give it a good it a good stir to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the pan too badly. If it is, turn the heat down and add a little more water (maybe 1/2 a cup) if it’s getting dry.

If you are using COOKED rice, still add the tomato sauce or paste, but NO WATER OR BROTH. Throw in your rice (if it’s frozen, slam the bag on the counter a few times. It breaks it up and also stress relief yay). And ok, maybe a few tablespoons of water to help it heat up, but NOT 4 CUPS of water. Very important, unless you want rice soup.

Once the rice is cooked (20-25 minutes, depending on what kind of rice you used), fluff it up nice with a fork and marvel at your work. Delicious. Add the frozen corn- no need to thaw, just throw it in. Cover the pot again and let it hang out for a few minutes to warm up. Stir everything together. Throw on some cilantro if you want to be fancy, serve it with tacos, or inhale it directly from the pan.

Sloth Shortcuts and Substitutions

Some shortcuts and substitutions you can use to have this rice ready quickly are:

Sloth Shortcut #1: Use what you have! Uncooked rice or cooked rice? Tomato sauce or tomato paste? Chicken broth or water + chicken base? It will all work. Less stressing. More rice.

Sloth Shortcut #2: Use your freezer – you can use cooked, frozen rice in this for a SUPER FAST meal, or you can freeze the leftovers for a future meal. Tip on reheating frozen rice- either this Spanish rice or ANY rice you want to reheat and serve- heat it covered with a tablespoon of water. Covering it and the extra water helps it not get dry and gross.

Sloth Shortcut #3: Make extra! This is SO SO good as leftovers- and if you don’t eat it all, freeze it! I always debate with myself how much to make- this recipe makes quite a bit for two people. If I make less, I’m always sad I don’t have the leftovers though!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Spanish Rice

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 2 T oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or 2 T tomato paste)
• 4 cups chicken broth (or 4 c water + 1 T chicken base)
• 1/2 cup frozen corn

Instructions

• Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear.
• Heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the onion until softened.
• Add the spices and uncooked rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring.
• Add the tomato sauce and broth.
• Simmer on low, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is done. Stir a few times to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan.
• Fluff the rice with a fork and add the frozen corn. Cover for a few minutes to let the corn thaw and stir to combine.

Notes

To use COOKED rice, add 4-5 cups cooked rice in step 3 and only 2 T water. Add the same amount of tomato sauce and corn. Heat on low 3-4 minutes until rice is heated, stirring frequently.