This basic Spanish Rice is fluffy and full of flavor, a delicious side dish for Latin meals. Keep it plain or add chopped green peppers or tomatoes.
In my last post I shared Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas served with Spanish Rice. Have you noticed that the two are twinsies when you eat Latin food? A side dish of rice is very common when you order a lunch or dinner plate at a Mexican Restaurant. One can not be without the other!
Rice is economical to make, and once you master making your own Spanish Rice you’ll be adding it to your burritos too. I’ll also warn you that you will never be able to eat it at a restaurant again without judging the the way their rice tastes. You just won’t be able to help it because your rice is going to be SOOO flavorful!
This is another dish that I watched my mom make without a recipe. After a lot of trial and error as well as taste testing, I can finally make fluffy and perfectly cooked Spanish Rice (if I do say so myself), but it took a few mushy rice dishes to get to this point.
Once you look at the recipe you’ll be wondering what was the challenge. The key to this simple recipe is to make sure you add the right amount of broth. The rice you use also makes a difference. Use long grain. It absorbs the liquid quite nicely.
There are so many variations to this side dish. You may have had it with a few vegetables added. I’ve cooked it with diced tomatoes and green or red peppers. Experiment with those ingredients too, but start with this basic recipe and get pro-ish, then start putting in ingredients you love!
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1½ cups long grain white rice
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
- On medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a 10 inch skillet. Add rice and diced onion stirring constantly until rice begins to lightly brown. Stir in garlic and reduce heat to medium.
- Add tomato sauce and stir until the rice pieces are coated. Stir in chicken or vegetable broth and with a spoon push the rice around the skillet forming an even layer. Return the heat to medium-high and when the rice begins to boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Let cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed in the rice.
I haven’t had Spanish rice in such a long time. It’s not a bit thing over here in Australia but I grew up with it. I’m going to try this.
Oh good, glad I peaked your interest to give it a try!
I never knew exactly what #SpanishRice consisted of. Thanks for clearing this up. I like the addition of #Chopped #pepper and #tomato!
Those extra ingredients is definitely fit for a chopped meal!
I’m a rice eater and this looks nice! will try soon..
Mmm, yum, love me some exotic rice 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Spanish rice is a must for any Mexican meal! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you Sarah! I have to concur. You can’t have a Mexican meal without the Spanish rice 🙂
That sounds absolutely wonderful!! I would love to make this sometime soon!!
Thanks, Robin! It’s so tasty. I think you’ll love it!
I love spanish rice. Haven’t had any in a minute. Never tried to make it before but I may now.
Oh, I hope you do give it a try Stacie! Let me know what you think. Won’t you 🙂
We love Spanish rice. It just has more flavor then plain white rice. It tastes good with everything.
You are so right, Onica! You really can add it as a side dish to any meal. I definitely prefer Spanish rice over plain rice.
G’day! I LOVE Spanish rice and this looks delish! Wish I could try some now Sandra!
Cheers! Joanne
Thank you, Joanne! It’s an easy recipe with lots of flavor!
Spanish rice is definitely a favorite in our household.
The little bit of flavor really makes this rice stand out!
I wanna try to make this at home.
Let me know how it goes Stephen!!
I love spanish rice. It is one of my favorite side dishes.
Excellent! My family always hopes there will be some left over to eat for a few days!
My husband can’t eat Mexican food at home without Spanish rice being on the table too. He loves it!!
Isn’t that funny! The meal is not complete without the rice!!
I’d love to give this one a try. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you like Spanish rice as much as we do!
Your rice looks perfectly cooked. Too many times it can be gloppy and overcooked.
Thanks, Karen! Yes, once you practice a bit, you’ll never have that clumpy rice again 🙂
I LOVE Spanish rice & your recipe sounds fantastic! I never use chicken broth in mine, I like the idea of this, so I”m going to have to try it out!
I love the versatility of this #SpanishRice dish. Of course, I’m going to love the addition of Chopped veggies. This has been on my “to do” since I first saw it. Happy to be reminded! Thanks Sandra