Authentic Spanish Rice - An Old Fashioned Spanish Rice Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Authentic Spanish Rice - An Old Fashioned Spanish Rice Recipe

Authentic Spanish Rice may be traditional but it's also simple with just a handful of ingredients including long-grain white rice, water, chicken broth, tomato sauce and Rotel canned tomatoes. With a lot of stirring and a little patience, you too will master this easy side dish.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: authentic mexican rice recipe, authentic spanish rice, old fashioned spanish rice, simple spanish rice recipe, spanish rice, spanish rice with rotel, traditional spanish rice

Servings: people

Calories: 167kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons lard or butter
2 cups long grain white rice
1 cup water
1 cup chicken (or vegetable broth)
8 ounces canned tomato sauce
10 ounces Rotel (canned tomatoes with chiles), drained

Instructions

Melt lard in a large skillet; add rice and cook, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Do not burn.
Once browned, add water and bring to a boil.
Once the water has mostly absorbed, add broth and cover over low heat.
Let simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Stir often so that a crust doesn't form. If it does, do not scrape it.
Once the rice is fluffy, add drained Rotel (keep the juice) and tomato sauce. Stir.
If the rice isn't perfectly fluffy, add the reserved Rotel liquids, turn off heat and cover until the rice steams to perfection.

Notes

Substitute butter or shortening for lard if desired.
Do not leave your rice alone while browning. Stir it constantly until it becomes lightly golden brown. The last thing you want to do is burn your authentic Mexican rice recipe.
Use a wooden spoon to stir your simple Spanish rice.
This is a Spanish rice with Rotel recipe. Rotel is diced canned tomatoes with green chilies.
Drain the liquid from the Rotel, but save it for the end of the recipe. If the rice isn't quite perfectly fluffy after 20 minutes of simmering covered, then add the Rotel liquid, cover and turn the heat off until it finishes cooking.
Once the rice is covered and simmering, be sure to stir often to prevent a crust from forming at the bottom of the pan. If a crust does form, do not fret---don't scrape the bottom of the pan because it will get dark hard pieces in the rice.
If you like spicy Spanish rice with Rotel, buy the Hot version instead of original. You could also add some red chili flakes for some extra heat.
This is perfect served along side Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa.
The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used. It should not be used for specific dietary needs.

Nutrition