Salsa Rice Recipe
Table of Contents
Many people consume rice both as a main dish or a side dish. Sometimes though, plain rice can be boring. The good thing is that rice can be leveled up and made into numerous tasty recipes by adding various ingredients to it. If you’re stumped for dinner, here’s a flavorful dish that you can make for your family.
Salsa/Spanish Rice Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you’ll need to make salsa rice. You may already have a lot of these in your pantry but if you don’t, you can swing by your neighborhood grocery store.
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chunky salsa (mild or spicy)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic (diced)
- 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
- Cilantro
How to Make This Super Easy Salsa Rice Recipe
We guarantee that you won’t have to use a lot of effort into cooking this easy salsa rice dish! The steps are simple and straightforward.
Course: Main Dish or Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Spanish, Mexican
- Bring a large pan or pot over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the pot.
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onions are softened.
- Add the dry rice to the skillet. Stir together with the onions and garlic. Cook the rice and stir occasionally until some of the rice starts to turn golden.
- Add the chunky salsa, broth, cumin, and the other seasonings. Give it a stir to make sure everything is submerged and mixed well. Cover and bring to a boil.
- After bringing the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover it with a tight lid as you let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, add the black beans. Mix them well with the rice.
- Remove from heat, cover, and let the cooked rice stand for 5 minutes.
- Add cheese and mix well. Let it stand for 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with cilantro on the side.
Salsa Rice Tips
- Salsa rice is highly versatile as you can serve it as a side dish with your favorite yummy proteins such as chicken, tofu, and eggs.
- The recipe indicates long-grain white rice but you can also use long-grain brown rice if you prefer.
- You can also use butter instead of olive oil.
- Chunky red salsa is used in this dish but you can also use green salsa if that is to your taste.
- This dish uses store-bought salsa but you are welcome to use homemade salsa if you have that.
- If you want to turn this into delicious Mexican rice, you can skip the spices listed and incorporate taco seasoning in the recipe instead.
- If you can’t find chicken broth, vegetable broth works just as well.
- To make this rice dish recipe more flavorful, you can add corn, sliced green onions, and olives.
- You can use any cheese that you want for this recipe.
- If you have any leftovers, simply transfer the salsa rice into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can reheat the salsa rice over the stove or in the microwave.
- This easy salsa rice dish can also be made using a rice cooker.
- You can adjust the spice according to your taste.
Final Note
This easy salsa rice recipe makes for a great side dish or main dish. Eat salsa rice on its own or use it as the star of other recipes such as burritos or taco rice. What are you waiting for? Put on your trusty apron and become an expert cook in the kitchen with this delicious meal!
Looking for more rice recipes to make for your family? Browse our collection.
