Easy Mexican Rice

You know that really good rice you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant? Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that rice for quite some time. It’s so simple, yet so flavorful!

I tried making my own recently and have been pleasantly surprised how easy it actually is to make myself! It’s a good thing to because it’s a dish my whole family loves including the girls. Natalie eats it by the handfuls. There was just one condition set by my husband – it had to be plain with no “chunks” of anything added. That sort-of-thing breaks his food rules!

Truthfully, I used to not be able to make rice at all. I just couldn’t do it. It would always come out all sticky and it would get all stuck on the bottom of the pan. Definitely not what you want with Mexican rice. I’ve gotten over my fears though!

Oh, and I realize that this recipe may not be authentic. I’m okay with that. The flavors are there in my opinion so that’s good enough for me!

One tip I have for this rice is to rinse it before you cook it. This step helps remove some of the starchiness of the rice that makes it stick together. You can skip this step if you want to do that. I’ve made it both ways and it’s tasty every time, but I do prefer the less-sticky texture you get when you rinse it first.

This is a great dish to serve for Cinco de Mayo and it is simple to make and it is really much better than the packaged stuff. We had a lot left over and so I heated some up the next day and I think I actually liked it even better the day after! You can make it the day before and I’ve also even tried freezing it. It’s always yummy!

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Yield: 6 servings

Easy Mexican Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Skip the packaged rice and make this easy restaurant-style Mexican rice at home!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Pour the rice into a strainer and rinse thoroughly with water for about 1 minute. This step removes the starch and will prevent your rice from sticking together.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is lightly toasted. Stir in the broth, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion powders, and salt.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let the rice simmer until it is tender, about 25 minutes. If the rice is not cooked and the liquid has absorbed, you can add in more broth or water and continue cooking until the rice is done.
4. Fluff with a fork and add additional seasonings if needed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 725mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 14g

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