Easy Spanish rice

Freshen up taco Tuesday with easy Spanish rice for a tasty side dish. Homemade Spanish rice is much fresher than anything from a box. You’ll love this easy Spanish rice at your next family taco night.

Spanish rice makes a great side dish

This Spanish rice recipe will serve eight people. It’s a big skillet of rice. This is an authentic family recipe. It’s simple and wholesome. Cut the recipe in half if you want to serve your family of four and don’t need left overs. However, left overs are always welcome in our house.

Perfect for taco Tuesday!

I love Spanish rice. You may surprised at how easy it is to make it from scratch. The best part about making your own sides from scratch is you control what goes in it. You can control the sodium (important for heart health and diabetes) and the spice level. You like it spicy?! Add in a dash of cayenne pepper to taste.

What you’ll need

1. Vegetable cooking spray

2. long-grain white rice

3. extra virgin olive oil

4. white onion

5. garlic

6. canned plum tomatoes

7. chicken broth

8. dried oregano

9. sea salt

10. ground black pepper

    
    

How to make Spanish rice

Making Spanish rice is quite easy. Here are a couple key steps to note. First, you will coat the rice with a little vegetable oil and heat it through until it becomes matte. This takes just a few minutes. This prepares the grain to absorb liquid.

Coating the rice

Set the coated rice above aside. Next, cook the ingredients that season the rice such as the onion and garlic. Then the rice is mixed in with the onion, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, herbs and salt and pepper. It is brought to a boil and simmered.

Mixing in the broth and tomatoes

The rice is simmered for 12 minutes on low. Then, the heat is turned off and we allow the steam to finish cooking the rice another 10 minutes. It’s best to not peek at this time. I use a glass cover on the skillet so I can see through the top.

Cover the rice and simmer

I enjoy this easy Spanish rice along with a simple protein and vegetable. It’s delicious with prawns, grilled chicken or a simple fillet of fish like Pacific cod.

You may also like

1. Grilled cumin prawns with avocado salsa

2. Pacific cod with pineapple pico de gallo

3. Ground beef tacos

4. Instant Pot pork carnitas

Easy Spanish rice

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Spanish rice. Spice up your taco night with this authentic delicious dish.

Happy cooking,

Michelle

Easy Spanish Rice

1. Serves 8

2. Prep 10 mins

3. Cook 25 mins

Freshen up taco Tuesday with easy Spanish rice for a tasty side dish. Homemade Spanish rice is much fresher than anything from a box. You’ll love this easy Spanish rice at your next family taco night.

1. Vegetable cooking spray

2. 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

3. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4. 1/2 cup white onion, chopped

5. 1 tsp garlic, diced

6. 16 ounce can plum tomatoes, pureed with their juice

7. 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

8. 1/2 tsp dried oregano

9. 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

10. 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

11. Coat a medium non-stick skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Cook the rice over medium-high heat until it takes on a matte white look. This takes just a few minutes. Scrape the rice into a bowl or sauce pan and set aside.

12. Add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the skillet. Cook the onion at medium-high heat until it softens. Add the garlic and continue cooking until it softens (about 2 minutes more).

13. Next, add the rice, pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

14. Cook the rice for 12 minutes. Then turn off the heat (remove from heat if using an electric stove) and let the rice steam itself for 10 minutes more.

· Use a medium-sized skillet preferably non-stick, with a lid for this recipe.

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