This easy Spanish Rice Recipe is made with long-grain rice, tomato sauce, onion, green pepper, garlic, ketchup, and peas. The rice cooks in one pot and comes out tender with separate grains and plenty of flavor.
It's an easy side dish for chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, tacos, and just about anything else you're serving.
I've made this recipe many times exactly as written, and it works every time. The two ingredients that matter most are the converted rice and the 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce, so I don't recommend changing either one.
An Easy Spanish Rice Recipe
This is the Spanish rice I grew up eating, and it's still the way I make it today.
My mom made it with converted rice, tomato sauce, green pepper, onion, garlic, ketchup, and peas. The rice cooks covered over low heat for 20 minutes, so once everything is in the pot, there isn't much left to do.
Ingredients
- Ben's Original Long Grain White Rice: This is converted, or parboiled, rice. It is important to the texture of this recipe.
- Tomato sauce: Use one small 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. I use Hunt's. This is not marinara or pasta sauce.
- Water: Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water.
- Yellow onion: Dice it into small pieces so it cooks evenly with the pepper.
- Green bell pepper: Green pepper gives the rice its familiar flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic goes in after the onion and pepper soften.
- Frozen peas: Add them straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw them.
- Ketchup: Just a tablespoon adds a little more tomato flavor and a touch of sweetness.
- Olive oil: For cooking the vegetables.
- Kosher salt: Season the rice before it cooks.
Use the Right Rice
For this recipe, I use Ben's Original Long-Grain White Rice, formerly called Uncle Ben's Converted Rice.
Converted rice is parboiled before it is packaged. It holds its shape while it cooks, so the grains stay firm and separate.
This is the rice my mom used, and it is the rice I use.
Other types of rice absorb liquid differently and may need a different cooking time. If you want this recipe to come out the way it is written, use the converted rice shown in the ingredient photo.
What Kind of Tomato Sauce?
Use one 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce, such as Hunt's.
If you're out of tomato sauce, you can substitute a mild marinara or pasta sauce, but the flavor and consistency may be slightly different.
Pour the entire can into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add about 2 tablespoons of water to reach the 1-cup line. You will also add 1 additional cup of water to the saucepan.
How To Make Spanish Rice
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and green pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Pour the entire 8-ounce can of tomato sauce into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add about 2 tablespoons of water, or just enough to bring the liquid up to the 1-cup line.
- Pour the tomato sauce, water, ketchup, frozen peas, rice, and salt into the pan. Stir well. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it boils, give the rice a good stir. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid while the rice is cooking.
- Remove the pan from the heat and gently fluff the rice before serving.
The Spanish Rice I Grew Up With
My mom is from Havana, Cuba, and this was the Spanish rice she made when I was growing up. We ate it with chicken, beef, pork, and fish.
She always used converted rice, and that's what I still use today. It gives the rice the firm, separate texture I remember.
Tips for Making Spanish Rice
- Use converted rice. This recipe was made for Ben's Original Long Grain White Rice.
- Use plain canned tomato sauce. Do not use marinara or spaghetti sauce.
- Measure the tomato sauce in a liquid measuring cup. Pour in the whole 8-ounce can, then add enough water to reach 1 cup.
- Keep the heat low. Once the rice boils, turn the burner all the way down.
- Keep the lid on. The steam inside the saucepan cooks the rice. Every time you lift the lid, some of that steam escapes.
- Add the peas frozen. No thawing or extra preparation is needed.
What Goes With Spanish Rice?
According to my mom, almost everything.
This was everyday rice in our house, so we ate it with all kinds of meals. From fried fish to steak and burgers, Spanish rice was always on the table. Come to think of it, we even had it at Thanksgiving. I guess it's a Cuban thing, but we never questioned it.
Serve Spanish rice with:
- Lemon Basil Roasted Chicken
- Chicken Tortilla Wraps
- Pan Fried Ribeye Steak
- Pan Seared Snapper Fillets
- Fried Mahi Mahi
- Coconut Oil Shrimp
- Fish Tacos
It also makes a delicious base for a rice bowl topped with black beans, shredded cabbage, guacamole, and your favorite protein.
Garnish your plate with a little chopped parsley or cilantro for color.
Looking for more rice recipes?
Storage and Leftovers
- Let the rice cool and transfer it to an airtight container.
- Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, add a small splash of water and warm the rice in the microwave or in a covered saucepan over low heat.
Can You Freeze Spanish Rice?
Yes. Let the rice cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or reheat it from frozen in the microwave.
Spanish Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 8-ounce can plain tomato sauce
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 cup Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain White Rice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and green pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour the entire 8-ounce can of tomato sauce into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add about 2 tablespoons of water, or just enough to bring the liquid up to the 1-cup line.
- Pour the tomato sauce, water, ketchup, frozen peas, rice, and salt into the pan. Stir well. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Stir the rice once, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Gently fluff the rice and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
The names Spanish rice and Mexican rice are often used interchangeably in the United States, but there are many different versions. This is the tomato-based rice my Cuban mother made at home with converted rice, tomato sauce, onion, green pepper, garlic, ketchup, and peas.
I recommend sticking with Ben's Original Long Grain White Rice for this recipe. Different kinds of rice absorb different amounts of liquid. If you change the rice, you may also need to change the amount of liquid and the cooking time.
Yes, in a pinch. Plain canned tomato sauce is better because it has a simpler flavor and thinner consistency, but a mild marinara will still work. If you use marinara, choose one without a lot of herbs or added seasoning.
No. I do not rinse the converted rice for this recipe.
