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 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, 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.

simple spanish rice
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
as much as i love my refried beans, this simple spanish rice has become my favorite part of our taco tuesday feast.
enjoy!
That rice looks perfectly fluffy! Perfect for today (Taco Tuesday)!
absolutely!! thank you
I always make Spanish rice from out of the box and it never tastes right. I will try this. Thanks!
thank you, i hope you enjoy it
We tried making Spanish Rice a few years ago and it came out super weird. I think we’ll try your recipe since it seems so easy!
it is easy, and works for me every time! hope you enjoy
I love spanish rice! I usually add a can of diced tomatoes for extra heartiness, but doing tomato paste sounds perfect, too!
i may need your recipe using diced tomatoes, mine always becomes too soggy
Stella is one smart cookie! I love this tradition .Thanks for sharing the recipes and insights! xo~D
thanks you 🙂 and yes she is