simple spanish rice

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taco tuesday wouldn’t be complete with the beans and this simple spanish rice

taco tuesday is something we take very seriously. it doesn’t matter how crazy our schedule gets, the kids expect there to be mexican, or at least our version of mexican, every tuesday night.

i’ve made so many homemade tortillas ^[4] over the years that they take no time at all anymore. that’s a good thing seeing as how stella refuses to eat a tortilla not made by me, no matter how much i beg for a week off. my slow cooker does most of the work for refried beans ^[5], also a staple of our taco tuesday feast, but until now i am embarrassed to admit that our rice has always come from a box.

spanish rice is a must if you ask ian. he’s not much into the beans, so for burritos and tacos the rice is important. in the past i have tried to make homemade spanish rice. most of my attempts have failed miserably. the rice is either too mushy, or too bland, or both. i’ve even tried adding salsa into the cooking liquid for more flavor, big bomb.

week after week, every time i pick up that box to put into my cart i feel like a failure. no matter what brand you choose, boxed rice is full of preservatives and way too much salt. so i made it my mission to find a spanish rice recipe that was simple enough to make on the busiest of tuesdays, but delicious and far from bland and mushy rice that finds its way to our table more often than not.

this simple spanish rice is exactly that. it is easy to make, doesn’t require any fancy ingredients, (you probably have most of them at home already) and cooks up perfectly every time.

Print Recipe ^[6]

Yield: 4 servings

simple spanish rice

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Total Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup of long grain white rice
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cup of chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• cilantro for garnish

  

Directions:

• whisk the tomato paste and salt into the stock, set aside
• in a saucepan, warm oil over medium-high heat
• add rice, and while stirring constantly, cook until browned (about 5 minutes)
• add onion and garlic, and cook until the onion begins to soften (2-3 minutes more)
• add the stock/tomato paste mixture to the rice
• bring rice to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low
• simmer 20-25 minutes( according to your package instructions)
• let sit 5 minutes, and then fluff with a fork
• garnish with cilantro before serving

 

the onion i used was one from my garden, and not at all the giant size you find at most markets. if you cannot find a small onion, use half of a large onion.this recipe serves 4 as a side dish; if you plan to fill burritos with the spanish rice, i suggest doubling the recipe

as much as i love my refried beans, this simple spanish rice has become my favorite part of our taco tuesday feast.

enjoy!