This Easy Spanish Brown Rice is quick and simple to make, with minimal effort, using cooked rice (leftover brown rice or instant rice.) Made with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peas, with the addition of Mexican spices, lime and cilantro, it's a flavorful side dish with a Mexican twist.
Spanish rice and Mexican rice are both popular during Cinco de Mayo but are an ideal easy side dish for any time of the year. This was inspired by my Easy Greek Rice (with Lemon) and pairs well with Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas or Slow Cooker Pork Pineapple Carnitas.
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🥘Ingredients
Made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peas, I also add cumin and turmeric to this recipe. Typically those spices are used in Mexican rice, as are cilantro and lime. So, this is a bit of a hybrid, but more so on the Spanish side, due to the tomato base. For this Spanish rice recipe, you'll need:
- 3 cups cooked brown rice *short or medium brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup peas
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp turmeric
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime
🔪Instructions
In a large skillet (with a tight fitting lid) on the stovetop, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 about minutes.
Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and dried oregano.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes longer.
Add the cooked rice, peas, and chicken broth. Turn up the heat to high for a minute or two, then lower the heat to simmer.
Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed.
Garnish with cilantro and lime
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Oil - you can use another type of oil such as canola oil
- Rice - you can use leftover rice, minute rice, or regular brown rice. If you only have white rice (jasmine rice or basmati) you could substitute it. Although Spanish rice is traditionally made with short grain rice, you could substitute long grain.
- Vegetarian - use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
- Garlic - fresh cloves are the best, but you could substitute prepared minced garlic in a jar or garlic powder, in a pinch
🥗 Main Dishes to serve with Spanish brown rice
Spanish Brown rice goes well with Mexican food such as:
- Slow Cooker Pork Pineapple Carnitas (shown below)
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Easy Chicken Quesadillas (with leftover rotisserie chicken)
- Leftover Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
🍽Equipment
You will need a large skillet and a spatula for this easy Spanish rice recipe (affiliate links).
🌡️Storage
Store leftovers of this Spanish rice dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This recipe does not stand up well to freezing.
👪 Serving Size
This Spanish rice with brown rice recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This easy recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 4 WW points on my plan for a ½ cup serving.
🦺Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Never leave cooking food unattended
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
Spanish rice, also known as "arroz rojo" or red rice, is a dish that is commonly eaten in Spain and some parts of Latin America. It is typically made with sautéed onions and garlic, tomato sauce, and chicken or vegetable broth. The rice is then cooked in this mixture until it is fully cooked and tender. Spanish rice may also contain other ingredients such as bell peppers, peas, or chorizo.
Mexican rice, also known as "arroz mexicano" or "arroz rojo" (red rice), is a popular side dish in Mexican One key difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice is the type of rice used. Spanish rice is often made with short-grain rice, which gives it a slightly different texture and flavor than Mexican rice, which is typically made with long grain rice. Additionally, Spanish rice tends to be a bit more tomato-based, while Mexican rice has a more prominent flavor of cumin and chili powder.
If you are looking for easy Spanish brown rice recipes you'll love this one-it's the perfect side dish!
And if you're looking for more Mexican sides, check out these 25 Recipes to Serve with Carnitas
📋 Easy Spanish Brown Rice recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- 1 cup peas *I use frozen
Garnish
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime
Instructions
NOTE: The instruction images will NOT print by default. If you want them to print, you'll need to check the box beside "images" on the print page
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer.
- Add the ground tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and dried oregano.
- Add the cooked rice, peas, and chicken stock. Turn up the heat to high for a minute or two, then lower the heat to simmer.
- Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed.
Garnish
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh lime. * I recommend squeezing fresh lime over this rice before serving.
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