My mom made this when I was a teenager and it is one of those recipes from my childhood that I’ve carried into my adult life. I call it “cheater Mexican rice.” This is my favorite side to make when I make any type of Mexican food. It is by no means authentic, but it is simple and yummy.
I always make more than I need because I can repurpose leftovers into new meals.
Ingredients
- Rice: you can use any kind of rice but we prefer long grain rice.
- Salsa: Pace Picante Salsa is my fave, but if you love the salsa, you will likely like it in your Mexican rice.
- Water: I have used water all my life and just recently started using broth at the suggestion of my friend. Game changer.
Steps
- Prepare and cook rice as you normally would except instead of using all water, split it into a 50:50 mixture of water and salsa. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice, then I use 3/4 cup of water mixed with 3/4 cup of salsa.
- When rice is finished cooking, use a fork to fluff rice (this helps spread the chunky salsa bits evenly throughout the rice.
- Enjoy!
Different Ways to Serve Mexican Rice
We mostly use this with our tacos. It is a great way to stretch the meat and make them a little more filling. You can also use them for the following:
- Burritos
- Burrito bowls
- As a side with enchiladas, taquitos, tacos, etc.
If you try this let me know what you think! And if you have any other ideas of how to use this, do let me know in the comments below. I’m always on the look out for new recipes to try.
If you’re looking for more easy recipes to make check out my Easy Dinners For Busy Nights post.
-Janice
