Recipe Collection: Mexican Rice

Written by Kate Tietje and updated by Sarena-Rae Santos in September of 2022. 

I used to love going to Mexican restaurants.  I’d always get burritos, enchiladas, or quesadillas (with chicken or mushroom fillings) with sides of refried beans and Mexican rice.  Oh, I loved the beans and rice!

Unfortunately, most Mexican restaurants use a lot of soybean oil and other unhealthy ingredients.  Too bad they don’t use the traditional lard!  So, I set out to find a way to make Mexican rice at home.

It’s become a favorite here and is often served simply with ground beef as a meal in itself.  It could also be served alongside refried beans or with chicken enchiladas.  It’s delicious and fairly simple.  This amount is enough to serve as a meal for 4 people, so feel free to cut it in half if you’re looking for just a side dish.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. lard (butter or coconut oil is fine too)
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice, soaked (learn how to soak rice)
• 2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots

Directions:

Step 1: chop up your onion and garlic and add them to your oiled frying pan over medium heat and saute until softened (about 5 minutes).

Step 2: Add the rice and saute until lightly golden and puffed, about 5 minutes.  Your rice may not puff quite like this, and that’s okay.

Step 3: Add chicken stock, tomato sauce, spices, and the other veggies (you can skip them if you prefer).  Stir to combine.

Step 4: Cover and cook for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  Add a little extra water if the rice isn’t done and the liquid is mostly gone.  Soon it will be done!

That’s it!  Not too hard, right?  Serve scoops with taco meat or seasoned chicken or alongside any Mexican meal.  It’s also delicious with grated soft cheese (mild cheddar, Monterey jack, or queso fresco) on top.

Mexican Rice

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp. lard butter or coconut oil is fine too
• 1 1/2 c. brown rice soaked*
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 c. peas
• 1/2 c. chopped carrots

Instructions

 

• First, chop up your onion and garlic.  Add these and your oil to a frying pan on medium heat and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and saute until lightly golden and puffed, about 5 minutes.  Your rice may not puff quite like this and that's okay.
• Add chicken stock, tomato sauce, spices, and the other veggies (you can skip them if you prefer).  Stir to combine.
• Cover and cook for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  Add a little extra water if the rice isn't done and the liquid is mostly gone.  Soon it will be done!
• That's it!  Not too hard, right?  Serve scoops with taco meat or seasoned chicken, or alongside any Mexican meal.  It's also delicious with grated soft cheese (mild cheddar, monterey jack, or queso fresco) on top.

What’s your favorite Mexican side dish?