I think I could eat Mexican food every night of the week. Tacos, burritos, chimichangas, chips, salsa, queso…need I go on? I also love the Mexican rice that goes along with these dishes in the more traditional Mexican restaurants, so when we have a taco night at home, I usually try to make a version of it myself.
After trying several similar recipes I found on Pinterest, I just wasn’t all that satisfied with the final product, so I started adapting them to my liking. What I ended up with is a staple that’s good enough to eat by itself!
My recipe makes enough for two people plus a little extra for leftovers. If your family is bigger, you’ll need to double up on ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup of white rice
1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 cup of water OR chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth too)
Fresh cilantro
Frozen corn (I like Trader Joe’s Mexican Style Roasted Corn)
Frozen peas and carrots
Chili powder seasoning (I also like Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning)
Salt
Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
How to make it:
Add your rice and water or chicken broth to a large, deep dish skillet. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes, then add in the tomato sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix and cover; cook on medium high heat for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Make sure you stir the mixture from time to time so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
Add in the corn, peas and carrots. Cook 5 – 10 minutes more until the rice and vegetables are cooked through.
Top with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, serve and enjoy!
*You could probably also make this in an Instant Pot. My suggestion for that would be to throw everything in the pot, cook for 8 minutes, then do a natural release for 10. I have not tested this with this recipe, but if you did do the Instant Pot instead, I would up the amount of water or broth that you use so it doesn’t dry it out.