Rice is one of the simplest building blocks for recipes. It is almost infinitely adaptable to whatever your dish needs. From homemade risotto to sweet rice pudding, it can be a main dish, side dish, or dessert. And so, it is the perfect base for the mouthwatering mix of flavors that make up this rice cooker Mexican rice recipe.

Mexican cuisine is famous for being savory, spicy, and full of flavor. It has a huge selection of foods ranging from tacos, quesadillas, and tortas to enchiladas and burritos. But, one of its many commonalities is that nearly every dish is accompanied by a side of rice and beans.

They just pair so well with everything, that there’s no reason not to have them as a tasty side dish.

However, I don’t want to just settle for plain rice on the side.

So, it is time to mix it up. Combine the rice with lots of powerful seasoning ingredients to make the flavors pop. Then cook it in a mix of water and chicken stock to let it simmer in even more flavor. It is all about building cohesive flavors for a unique final side dish.

Here is how I make my favorite rice recipe every time – and it’s a breeze!

What is Mexican Rice?

Mexican rice is a popular dish in northern and central Mexico and the southwest United States.

Put simply, Mexican rice is seasoned, cooked rice. To season the rice, it is first toasted in vegetable oil. Then garlic and onion or shallot are added to the mix.

Then it is cooked with tomato paste, tomato bouillon, chicken broth, water, and chili powder. It is usually served with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream. It is usually served as a side to other dishes, such as tacos, burritos, or enchiladas.

You can try mixing it up by adding in minced cilantro, beans, lime juice, or anything else that seems like it would fit within the mix of flavors.

It can also be referred to by the names Spanish rice (though it definitely doesn’t come from Spain), arroz rojo (red rice), or arroz Mexicano.

Why I Use a Rice Cooker

Learning how to cook rice is an important kitchen skill. But when you are making a meal and handling multiple things at once, sometimes it is easier to pop things into a rice cooker and let it handle most of the cooking and timing for you.

Making this rice cooker Mexican rice does not mean that you just dump everything into the rice cooker and then forget about it until dinner time. It still needs some time and attention. Especially with this preparation of rice cooker Mexican rice, since we will be adding in more than just rice and water.

I love cooking with a rice cooker.

Besides prepping everything beforehand, I find that it can take some effort after the rice cooker has finished cooking. I usually will lift up the lid, try to fluff and turn all of the rice over and check the moisture level. Sometimes it needs a little extra water, sometimes I need to leave the lid open so it can steam off extra liquid.

You can kind of set it and forget it, but make sure to check it out and fluff it up before serving.

I have used this Aroma Housewares rice cooker for at least 5 years.

Preparing the Rice Ingredients

The first step to making Mexican rice is to rinse the rice until the water is clear. Then mince the garlic and shallot and measure out all of the other ingredients to have your mise en place. With everything ready to go, it’s time to toast the rice.

If you can toast the rice directly in the rice cooker, then I would recommend going that route. I kind of was able to trick the rice cooker into letting me sautee the rice, garlic, and shallot together in the vegetable oil. If you can’t, then just toast it in a saucepan first and then transfer everything into the rice cooker to cook the rice.

I also decided to add the tomato bouillon, tomato paste, and chili powder to the mixture and sauteeing for a bit before adding the liquids.

Then add the water and chicken stock, give it a good stir, and set the rice cooker to cook.

What to Serve with Mexican Rice

Unless you are making fried rice or risotto, rice is usually not served by itself. It is typically accompanied by some other food or protein to help turn it into a full meal.

And so, try this rice recipe out as a side for any Mexican or Tex-Mex dish. I find that it goes well with all of the following recipes:

• Fried Baja Shrimp Burrito
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Taco Bell Copycat Quesarito

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this rice cooker Mexican rice! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

This is a very easy and flavorful rice recipe for the rice cooker. This quick, simple, and mostly hands-off side dish will be great for your next meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 cups rice, washed

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small shallot, minced

• 4 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons tomato bouillon

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 2 cups water

Directions

• Add the oil to either a hot rice cooker or saucepan, then add the rice and toast it for 3 to 4 minutes
• Add the garlic and shallot to the rice and continue to sautee until the shallot is partially translucent, about 5 minutes
• Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir them together until well combined, if you were using a saucepan then pour everything into the rice cooker
• With everything combined in the rice cooker, start the cooker according to its directions
• When the rice cooker has finished, fluff the rice and serve it

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About a month and a half ago, we had a very disappointingly meager harvest from our potato plants. After cleaning them up, I stored the potatoes we dug up in our pantry to wait on a recipe that felt right. And partly to hide them out of gardening shame. It was finally time to pull them out to make this parmesan rosemary potato soup recipe.

There were so few potatoes from our harvest that I had to buy some to supplement.

But at least some of our more unique and colorful blue potatoes helped give a bit more variety to my photos.

This is a pretty simple recipe that mostly boils together in the pot. A savory, creamy, flavorful potato soup recipe, this one is thinner than my ham and dill potato cream cheese soup. It also has fewer steps and ingredients.

So get ready to boil up some potatoes into creamy deliciousness.

Steps to Make Soup

Start off the soup by simmering garlic, shallot, and rosemary in melted butter. It will make your whole kitchen smell delicious. And it is really the best way to start any recipe.

Pour in the potatoes, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Stir things together and turn up the heat to get it all boiling.

Let it boil until the potatoes are perfectly cooked through. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it cool down a bit. We don’t want the soup to be too hot when adding all of the dairy ingredients.

Stir in the milk, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Let this all come to a simmer while stirring occasionally. Then taste it to make sure it does indeed taste divine.

If everything went according to plan, you’ll have a nice hearty soup. Just sprinkle the top with a bit of rosemary and parmesan cheese once you have served it in bowls.

Variations On This Soup Recipe

This recipe on its own will make a wonderful soup that should definitely be paired with a buttery dinner roll for dipping. However, that isn’t to say that it is beyond modification. I love experimenting in the kitchen.

The most obvious thing to change or add to is the vegetable of choice. Potatoes. Try this with any variety – russett, gold, red, blue. I used a mix of red, gold, and blue for my dish.

Or substitute some sweet potatoes or another hearty root vegetable like carrots or parsnips. Adding some chopped broccoli can truly transform this dish into a closer cousin of broccoli cheddar soup. And finally, you can try adding some meat to the dish – especially some bacon…

You also have the option to turn this into a bit of a thicker soup. If you want something a bit heartier or if it is colder out and you really want a nice thick soup, you can make a roux.

After simmering the garlic, shallot, and rosemary in butter, whisk in some flour, and let it cook for a few minutes until lightly golden. Use up to 1/4 cup of flour to help thicken the soup.

Any way you make it, you’ll end up with a savory soup made for sipping in colder weather.

Rosemary Potato Soup

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SoupsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Creamy potato soup recipe combines with flavorful rosemary and parmesan for a hearty and savory dish to warm up cold nights

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 pounds potatoes

• 1 large shallot

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced rosemary, divided

• 4 tbsp butter

• 8 cups chicken stock

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

• Peel and chop the potatoes into about half-inch pieces
• Chop the shallot and mince the garlic and rosemary
• Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the shallot, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of rosemary to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the shallot is mostly translucent
• Add the potatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, and pepper into the pot and turn the heat up to high
• Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are still a little under-done but just about done
• Turn the heat down to low and let the soup cool slightly for 3 to 5 minutes
• Stir in the milk, cream, and parmesan and let the soup come to a simmer
• Simmer for about 10 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly, stirring the bottom so nothing burns
• Serve the soup and top with sprinkles of minced rosemary and grated parmesan cheese

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Sometimes you just need that quick weeknight meal that is also delicious. One of the easiest things to do is make a sauce that can easily top pasta, rice, or quinoa. And this tomato cream sauce fits the bill perfectly. It comes together quickly and can source different things from the pantry. It will also easily pair with nearly anything else for a full meal.

A simple, straightforward sauce that you can simmer on the stovetop and keep on there until the pasta and the rest of the meal is done. This is a creamy, savory sauce with a tiny kick of heat at the end.

My wife absolutely loves this sauce – it is one of her favorites. So I have made it many times in a lot of subtly different ways. This version is the best combination of herbs and flavors to make a quick sauce that can top almost anything. It also smells so amazing while cooking.

Pair this sauce with some of your own homemade pasta for a meal that is truly fresh and scratch-made.

From the Pantry?

This is one of those recipes for which I typically have everything on hand in the pantry or fridge. Because not everything needs to be fresh to make the recipe. Use the fresh stuff you have, and mix in some dried or canned items to finish it off. Whatever is on hand will work.

The basic steps are sautéing garlic, shallot, and tomato. Then adding in the herbs and continuing the sauté. And finally, pouring in the milk and cream and letting it simmer to perfection.

For the tomatoes, you can just as easily use fresh tomatoes as canned, diced ones. In fact, I have often made this with a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes. It adds a bit of a different flavor. And it is actually faster to use canned tomatoes because you don’t have to cut the tomatoes yourself. Fresh tomatoes will give you a brighter, fresher flavor.

The same goes for all of the herbs. Use dried herbs if you don’t have any fresh ones on hand. But, when substituting dried herbs, use only half of the amount of what the recipe calls for. Dried herbs are typically more powerful and concentrated in flavor, so putting in too much could overpower other flavors.

It is easiest to have everything chopped and ready to add to the sauce before you start cooking it. Then you can just dump things in at the right time and stir.

Using the Tomato Cream Sauce

Not only is this tomato cream sauce easy, it also gives you lots of options. Mix and match this sauce with any of the following – or anything else you think up. It’ll make a tasty combo to round out a whole meal.

Proteins:

• Shrimp – Quickly pan-fry some salted and peppered shrimp for a super-fast protein addition. I love pouring the finished sauce out into a serving bowl and then using that pan to fry the shrimp. It helps add a bit of the sauce’s flavor into everything.
• Chicken – I recommend marinating and cooking some whole chicken breasts to top the pasta, rice, or quinoa. Grilled chicken is especially delicious with some of that added flame-grilled flavor.
• Chickpeas – Use canned chickpeas for an ultra-fast preparation, otherwise make sure you soak and boil the dry chickpeas well in advance. Then just toss them together with the sauce – or even simmer them with the sauce for the last few minutes of cooking.

Base:

• Pasta – Any kind and any variety will do, but a shape that has some nooks and crannies to catch the sauce makes for a more delicious meal in my opinion.
• Rice – White or brown rice will almost soak up the sauce – so you may need to make a double-batch to be prepared for that.
• Quinoa – Rice’s healthier big brother.

Sides:

• Garlic Bread – Garlic, butter, parsley, bread. Cheese optional. Toast it in the oven.
• Caesar Salad – A versatile side for many dishes, but here it works great as a contrast to the tomato-based sauce.
• Sautéed Zucchini – Basically slice up some zucchini and toss it in a pan with some fat and a few herbs or spices to amp up the flavor. Here’s a good baseline sauteed zucchini recipe.

So go ahead and pair this sauce with all your favorites for a delicious weeknight meal.

Easy Tomato Cream Sauce for Pasta

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

A simmering tomato cream sauce with a hint of spice that pairs with everything you have on hand

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1/3 cup chopped shallot (or red onion)

• 1 and 3/4 cup diced tomatoes

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, minced

• 1 teaspoon basil, minced

• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme, minced

• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

• Chop, mince and measure everything to have ready before getting started with the cooking
• Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat
• Add the garlic and shallot to the pan and sauté about 3 minutes until fragrant
• Mix in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the white wine vinegar, rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the sauce, stir to combine and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Pour in the cream and milk, thoroughly stir to combine, and bring it to a simmer
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer to the desired thickness of the sauce with infrequent stirring, about 10 minutes

Notes

• If using dried herbs, half the amount that the recipe calls for

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