Homemade Spanish Rice
You’re throwing together a healthy dinner of grilled fish and broccoli tonight but you need a good side to go along. I’ll bet you reach for a box of Rice-a-Roni or some other side-dish-in-a-box.
I understand, I used to do that, too. Then I read the nutrition information on those instant side dishes. They are full of sodium! So I decided it was time to make my own. I turned to my trusty Joy of Cooking and found this delicious recipe for Spanish rice, which I make often. I tweaked it a bit to my family’s preferences and I love to serve it alongside Mexican food, grilled fish or chicken or double the recipe and bring to a potluck.
Ingredients
- 2 slices chopped bacon
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped red pepper
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 ¾ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, drained
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a skillet, cook onion, bacon, pepper and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent, about five minutes. NOTE: If you want to make the recipe vegetarian, omit bacon and use two tablespoons olive oil instead.
- Add rice and stir until coated. Add chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes, paprika and pepper.
- Bring everything to a boil. Stir once and transfer to a casserole dish, cover and bake until stock is absorbed into rice, about 25 minutes.
- Uncover and let stand about five minutes before serving.
