I love a big bowl of hot rice. Rice is filling, cozy, and cheap. Moreover, adding different flavors to rice will never get boring. This tomato rice is super easy and flavorful. Follow Apronese to see how to make tomato rice.
What’s in Tomato Rice?
This tomato rice is simply rice that has been cooked with onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, a couple of spices (cumin and chili powder), and a flavorful broth. And that’s all!
What Else Can I Add to Tomato Rice?
There are so many ways you can adjust this recipe to make it your own. You can swap the vegetable broth for chicken broth for a slightly different flavor, or replace the diced tomatoes with salsa or Rotel.
You can also add some extra spices, like cayenne or smoked paprika, or even squeeze a little lime juice in with the broth before cooking.
If you want more vegetables, try stirring in some frozen peas or diced bell pepper.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
Brown rice requires more liquid and a longer simmer time, which is 2-3 times longer than white rice. I’ve never tried to make this tomato rice with brown, but it is definitely possible to make it with long-grain brown rice.
How to Store the Leftovers?
If you plan to use your rice for meal prep or if freeze the leftovers, divide the rice into single portions before refrigerating to make sure it cools down quickly once in the refrigerator.
Once completely cooled, you can transfer them to the freezer for longer storage.
The tomato rice can be quickly reheated in the microwave. Remember to add a sprinkle of water or an ice cube before reheating so that the rice won’t dry out.
How to Make Tomato Rice
Tomato rice is an easy yet flavorful side dish that uses only a few simple ingredients.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 10 mins / Cook Time: 35 mins / Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 8 (1 cup each)
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1.5 cups long grain white rice ($0.56)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin ($0.02)
- 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste ($0.08)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Add the onion, garlic, and cooking oil to a saucepot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the rice, chili powder, and cumin to the pot. Continue to stir and cook for a couple of minutes more to toast the rice and spices.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, and broth to the pot. Stir to combine and dissolve and spices that are stuck to the bottom.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and let the broth come up to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low (or just above low) to bring the broth down to a gentle simmer.
- Let the rice gently simmer for 20 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring. After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, and let the rice rest for five minutes without lifting the lid.
- After resting, fluff the rice with a fork to redistribute the tomatoes throughout. Serve hot!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cup ・ Calories: 186 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 34 g ・ Protein: 4 g ・ Fat: 4 g ・ Sodium: 471 mg ・ Fiber: 2 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Tomato Rice – Step-by-step Photos
Step 1: Start by mincing two cloves of garlic and finely dicing one onion.
Step 2: Add the onion and garlic to a sauce pot with 2 tbsp cooking oil. Sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent.
Step 3: Add 1.5 cups long grain white rice, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 1/4 tsp cumin to the pot.
Step 4: Cook and stir the rice and spices for a couple of minutes more to slightly toast the rice and spices.
Step 5: Add one 15oz. can of petite diced tomatoes (with juices), 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 cups vegetable broth, and 1/2 tsp salt to the pot.
Stir to combine and dissolve any spices stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Step 6: Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow the broth to come up to a full boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to low (or lightly above low) to bring the broth down to a gentle simmer.
Step 7: Let the rice gently simmer for 20 minutes without stirring or lifting the lid.
After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat (lid still on) and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Fluff the rice with a fork to redistribute the diced tomatoes, which float to the top as the rice simmers.
Step 9: Serve hot! Garnish with a little lime and green onion, if needed.
Try these flavored rice recipes as well:
- Coconut Rice
- Yellow Jasmine Rice
- Spinach Rice with Feta
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Mushroom Rice
- Seasoned Rice
Now get on it and leave a comment below to share with us your result. Come back to Apronese for more recipes!
