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- White Rice: Grab long-grain white rice. Don’t swap in brown rice in this recipe as brown rice takes longer to cook.
- Yellow or White Onion: You can use either a standard yellow onion or a sweet white onion.
- Jalapeno: A small jalapeno that’s diced up gives that kick of that unmistakable spicy flavor.
- Red Bell Pepper: Dice up half of a red bell pepper to boost the red color and add flecks throughout the rice.
- Tomato Sauce and Broth: The rice simmers gently in a mix of tomato sauce and broth. You can use either vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- Spices and Aromatics: Some minced garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper add to the flavor.
- Chopped Cilantro: I always love to add a little chopped cilantro on top for a pop of green, which also contrasts beautifully with the red rice.
- Thoroughly wash and drain the rice with a fine mesh sieve.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.
- Toss in the rice and saute it until it’s lightly toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the cumin, salt, tomato sauce and chicken broth, then stir everything together.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is cooked all the way through – about 15 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.