Last night I was a cooking machine. And a Mexican food cooking machine at that!
For dinner we had chicken chili, and then I started on making brownie batter cookies, taco meat, and Mexican rice. Hey, I was hungry.
OK – fine. The taco meat and rice was for tonight and the cookies were for a beautiful lady who bid on them in an online bake sale. But what if I was hungry? I know y’all wouldn’t judge 😉
Regardless, I’m not here to talk about all that. What I’m here to talk about today is the rice. OH MY GOSH THE RICE! The first time I had this rice was at an impromptu dinner party hosted by Robbie & Stef, and I kid you not I was taking my finger and licking the pan clean. Nate was pretty embarrassed, but this was the best Mexican rice I’d ever had. No shame.
It starts off, like all good dishes, with olive oil, onion, and garlic. Just like it should be! Then you dump the rice in and toast it up a bit. Toasting the rice just adds immense flavor and color…at least that’s what Stef said. If she said that’s how you make the rice, that’s how you make it!
Add your chicken stock, a little salt, and tomato paste. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer til the rice is tender. Doneskis.
Seriously, who knew fantastic (and authentic!) Mexican rice would be this easy?! It took all the self-restraint I had to not just gulp it all down last night. Even though I wasn’t really hungry.
Recipe from my beautiful friend Stefanie.
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups rice (I used brown but you could use white too)
- 4 cups water or chicken stock
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- salt to taste
In a large, heavy-bottom pan saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the rice and, stirring frequently, toast it with the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes. Add the stock/water, tomato paste, and salt. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 45-60 minutes (again, that’s if you use traditional brown rice like I did. Other types of rice will likely have different cooking times). Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
You may now proceed to lick the pan clean – don’t worry, I won’t judge you!
Victoria says
Yummy! Gonna have to make some Mexican food soon so I can try out this recipe!
Heather C says
Recipe = Starred! I never realized tomato paste was part of the magical “mexican rice” equation. 🙂 “a ha” moment…
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says
Yum. This looks great… usually I don’t like Mexican rice when I am at a “chain” Mexican restaurant, but recently I discovered a gem of a place that serves THE BEST Mexican rice (I think there’s something about the amount of butter that makes it so fabulous). Anyways, rice done right is a beautiful thing. 🙂
Miri Leigh says
This rice looks delicious. What a great complement for so many dishes!
snackgirlgoeshealthy says
Mmm! I love mexican food! Give me some rice and beans and I’ll go to town!! 🙂
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
There is nothing like good rice! I never realized that Mexican rice had tomato paste in it – genius!
Salah says
I love me some mexican rice 🙂
Jessica @ Dairy Free Betty says
How awesome are you? I was just looking for a Mexican rice recipe!! 🙂 Thank you!
steph says
Growing up we always had “Spanish” rice, however I think I can settle for calling it Mexican if I must. : )
What an easy and delicious recipe! I can’t cook Asian, I can’t cook Indian, I even struggle to bake sometimes but that’s only because my real cooking talent is Tex Mex.
Jenny says
Any Mexican recipe is a winner with me 😀
Natalia - a side of simple says
Mexican rice is one of my favorites. I always love ordering it out at restaurants and honestly didn’t even realize how easy it was to make!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
Looks good!! Mexican Rice is one of my favorite dishes but I’ve never attempted to make it.
brandi says
I LOVE making Mexican rice at home – it’s always so much better than what I get in restaurants! Sometimes I think about taking my own in to have with my tamales or enchiladas 🙂
savoringsarah says
Me + Rice = TruLuv4Ever. The end.
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
Yes– I LOVE toasting rice! It gives it such great flavor!
Cookin' Canuck says
This would go well with so many Mexican dishes. It’s great to have a versatile side dish like this in the arsenal.
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
Yum! I love Mexican Rice! Delicious 🙂
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
Being that hungry wouldn’t have sounded odd to me in the least. 😀
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I love all Mexican food. This rice sounds delicious.