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Quick and Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

Learn how to make quick and easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice the healthy way!  It tastes just like the restaurant but is made in half the time and with half the fat! 

Learn how to make quick and easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice the healthy way! It tastes just like the restaurant but is made in half the time and with half the fat!

[wprm-recipe-jump]

It’s been 3 weeks since I started my fitness journey, again.. and this little blogger is a happy girl.

I knew I needed to do something because I was feeling ever so uncomfortable in my clothes and struggling to fit back into my favorite jeans after a month full of holiday treats and lack of any dieting.

And after just 2 weeks of power yoga, of heavy squatting, bicep curling, jump roping, hurt ankles and injured hips…I feel fantastic!!! And FINALLY…I’m fitting into those jeans again.  Isn’t it beautiful when our muscle memory kicks in again and those biceps start popping out again?

By the way…did you buy tickets??? TO THE GUN SHOW!???! Hahaha!  Sorry I could not help myself 🙂

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

Getting my toned little derrier to the gym is not my only recipe for success (hehe I made a pun)…clean eating is one of the biggest components of this lifestyle.  I eat..A LOT.  More than ever before.  And the only way I can make this whole eating thing happen is to make sure I eat often.

An essential item in my clean eating meal plan is brown rice.  Lots of it.  In fact my freezer is stashed with it. I typically make either brown Jasmin rice or Basmati brown rice.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

TIP

Every time I go to make brown rice, I cook the entire bag and freeze most of it in smaller ziplock bags. Then each week I just defrost the bag and voila!  Instant perfect rice without all that “minute rice” nonsense.  That’s not good for anyone…ANYONE.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

I am a huge fan of Mexican rice in restaurants.  Loaded with simple flavors like cilantro, scallions and tomatoes, seemingly ordinary rice is transformed into a flavor bomb full personality!  It is NOT however loaded with a ton of fat.

Think of this as the fresher and cleaner version of your favorite Mexican restaurant’s arroz. (That means rice in Spanish.  That commences our Spanish lesson for the day)

 

Learn how to make quick and easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice the healthy way! It tastes just like the restaurant but is made in half the time and with half the fat!

The Technique

Because I always have a freezer stash of rice…this recipe comes together in no time.  Last time I made this, I stood by the stove and tasted it…25 times.  And then the munchkin wanted a taste…so with the munchkin standing on a chair and a spoon in hand, we both continued tasting the rice, shamelessly.

This recipe is going to start with a few simple ingredients.

First we are going to chop one large onion and a shallot.  You can see how I do that here.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

Next, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil in a deep pot.  A 5 quart pot will do you just fine. (You can certainly use butter.  But avocado oil and coconut oil are all I use to cook with for the most part now, with the exception of the occasional tablespoon of butter 🙂

Add in your onions and shallots over medium heat and cover.  You want to sweat them, not caramelize them.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

While that’s cooking up, chop up some garlic, scallions and cilantro.  You are also going to want to pop open a can of diced tomatoes with chilies.

And then there is my secret ingredient.  See that little yellow packet of goodness over there?  It Goya Sazon Cilantro and Tomato seasoning.  That’s my secret.  And after working with a number of Mexican women…they too have informed me it’s their secret.  It’s good stuff guys.  Good stuff.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

Toss the rice with the onions and the oil and add add in your scallions, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes and seasoning packets.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

Now let’s add our defrosted rice that has already been cooked.  Or perhaps you had some rice sitting in your fridge from Chinese takeout earlier that week and you were not sure what to do with it.  If you are using uncooked rice…now is also the time to add it.

If your rice is cooked, simply toss it together with the veggies and add in about 1 cup of water to get the flavors distributed a bit.  Simmer until all water is evaporated. and veggies are soft  and tender.

By the way…my friend Meggan over at Culinary Hill has my favorite full-proof way to cook rice and this is how I always make it!

And that’s it!  Taste for seasoning.

If your rice is uncooked.  Cover with appropriate amount of water or chicken broth and let it cook according to directions.  Usually bring it to a boil and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes covered.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Mexican Rice from the Girl and the Kitchen

Feel free to sprinkle with more scallions and cilantro.  I cannot get enough of the stuff.

Learn how to make quick and easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice the healthy way! It tastes just like the restaurant but is made in half the time and with half the fat! I served this up for a dinner last week to the hubs and the munchkin with my New Baked Tequila Lime Chicken  and with my Mexican Shrimp Soup.  It this little Mexican Feast was a MASSIVE hit.  They both licked their plates and hubby and I gave our chicken skin to the kitty who was also mighty happy:) 

 

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Restaurant Style Mexican Rice (4 of 4)

Quick and Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice


  • Author: Mila Furman
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x

Description

Learn how to make quick and easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice the healthy way! It tastes just like the restaurant but is made in half the time and with half the fat!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
  • 1 large onion (diced)
  • 1 shallot (diced)
  • 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies
  • 5 scallions (sliced)
  • 1 handful of cilantro
  • 2 seasoning packets of Goya Sazon Tomato and Cilantro
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Chop one large onion and a shallot.
  2. Next, heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil or avocado oil in a deep pot. A 5 quart pot will do you just fine. (You can certainly use olive oil or butter. But avocado oil and coconut oil are all I use to cook with now, with the exception of the occasional tablespoon of butter 🙂 )
  3. Add in your onions and shallots over medium heat and cover. You want to sweat them, not caramelize them.
  4. While that’s cooking up, chop up some garlic, scallions and cilantro. You are also going to want to pop open a can of diced tomatoes with chilies.
  5. And then there is my secret ingredient. See that little yellow packet of goodness over there? It Goya Sazon Cilantro and Tomato seasoning. That’s my secret. And after working with a number of Mexican women…they too have informed me it’s their secret. It’s good stuff guys. Good stuff.
  6. Toss the rice with the onions and the oil and add add in your scallions, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes and seasoning packets.
  7. Now let’s add our defrosted rice that has already been cooked. Or perhaps you had some rice sitting in your fridge from Chinese takeout earlier that week and you were not sure what to do with it. If you are using uncooked rice…now is also the time to add it.
  8. If your rice is cooked, simply toss it together with the veggies and add in about 1 cup of water to get the flavors distributed a bit. Simmer until all water is evaporated. and veggies are soft and tender.
  9. And that’s it! Taste for seasoning.
  10. If your rice is uncooked. Cover with appropriate amount of water or chicken broth and let it cook according to directions. Usually bring it to a boil and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes covered.
  11. Feel free to sprinkle with more scallions and cilantro. I cannot get enough of the stuff.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Mexican

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24 Comments

    1. Yup I totally love it! I use it in a lot of my Mexican recipes 🙂 Now I am off to your site to check out some toddler hints 🙂 Great to have met ya!

    2. It;s a go to for me Rebekah!!! I put it into a lot of my Mexican dishes for that unique flavor! Now I am off to stalk your blog! Great connecting with you!

    1. Michelle…I made tacos very last minute last night and defrosted some of this rice and it was perfect!!! Such a great item to have on hand!

    1. Amy…I used to buy the frozen ready made rice at Trader Joe’s but this is sooo much easier and much more economical! Plus! I always have ready made rice on hand which is a huge time saver! You can do the same thing for quinoa too!

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