Easy Spanish Rice For Mexican Meals

Spanish rice is the perfect side dish to serve with Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos, and more. Once you see how easy it is to make Spanish rice, it will quickly become a family favorite rice recipe.

 I always thought that making Mexican rice was complicated and never thought that I could make this rice recipe at home. I live in New Mexico and Spanish rice is an ethnic recipe that is served at most potlucks. So many of my neighbors and friends are of Hispanic and Mexican descent. When they make Spanish rice for a meal, I always enjoy it. Spanish rice is also a staple on the plates of all the local Mexican restaurants. When you order a meal from a Mexican place, it usually comes with Spanish/ Mexican rice. 

 Living in New Mexico means you have access to many delicious Mexican and New Mexican restaurants. The food that is served at Mexican and New Mexican places are quite similar, with the differences being the flavors and the ingredients used in the meals. The main difference is New Mexican recipes incorporate green chiles but both have the standard tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, etc. The meal plates always have beans, tortillas, and rice. Restaurant-style Spanish rice is so delicious.

How to make Spanish Rice

 The other day, I made my first batch of Spanish rice for a church potluck and I was amazed at how easy it was to make. I then questioned why did it take me so long to make homemade Spanish rice? I have made homemade tortillas and chipotle beans but never Spanish rice. Could it be that my family never requested me to cook Spanish rice or the fact that somebody else always brought the Mexican rice to potlucks? Maybe it was my thinking that this white girl could not make a flavorful Spanish rice dish.

 Whatever the reasons, I am glad that I decided to make Spanish rice that was homemade. I brought my spicy Spanish rice to a Christmas party and everyone loved it. My rice dish went well with all the different enchiladas that other people brought. My rice made with a Spanish style was so good that my youngest son requested that I make this rice recipe more often.

Ingredients needed to make Spanish rice

+ Rice - White or brown, long-grain

+ Onion

+ Extra Virgin Olive Oil

+ Tomato sauce

+ Minced garlic

+ Chicken broth

+ Cumin

+ Red chili powder

+ Salt

The best recipes start with Extra Virgin Olive oil

 You might have noticed that my Spanish Rice ingredient list mentions extra virgin olive oil and I wonder if you can use another type of cooking oil. While you are welcome to use your favorite cooking oil, I recommend using extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and recipe-quality results. I use olive oil in many of my healthy recipes simply because olive oil provides the best flavor for recipes. Then I recommend Extra Virgin Olive Oil for many other reasons. 

 Extra virgin olive oil is a healthy cooking oil. EVOO is high in healthy plant nutrients called phytochemicals that may help fight cancer and heart disease. This flavorful oil called extra virgin olive oil also has some amazing health benefits*.

Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

+ Boosts Heart Health

+ Lowers Stroke Risk

+ Fights Inflammation

+ High in Antioxidants

+ Zaps Bacteria

+ Prevents Cancer

+ Boosts Your Brain

* https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-health-benefits-of-olive-oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil facts

● Extra virgin olive oil is made by pressing olive oil, without heat or chemicals

● Olive oils are tested for peroxide values. Lower values indicate fresher oil and more rapid processing.

● Extra virgin olive oil is virtually free of acidity — below 0.8%. If the percentage of oleic acid (fatty acid) is too high, it indicates improper production and rancidity. 

● A panel of trained, expert tasters tests for taste defects and the presence of positive attributes of fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness. If the oil doesn’t have the signature fruity taste and harmonious balance, it won’t receive an Extra Virgin rating.

● Extra virgin olive oil has a high smoking point of 400°F, so it is suitable for cooking and baking.

● Between use, store your oil somewhere dark and cool (around 57°F, if possible), not on the counter or near a stove, and never in the refrigerator. Keep the lid screwed on tight, and use your oil within six months of opening.

Spanish rice questions and tips

How much rice should I make per person? While a serving of rice is 1/2 cup of cooked rice, I recommend 1 cup of cooked rice per person. One cup of dried rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice. Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge for several days.

Which rice is best for Spanish Rice? Any white rice can be used for Spanish rice but I recommend using long-grain white rice. It gets fluffy and does not get sticky like some of the short-grained rice.

Can Spanish rice be made with brown rice? Brown rice can definitely be used in place of white rice. Brown rice is healthier rice also.  Just add ⅓ c more water per cup of brown rice and let simmer longer- until the brown rice reaches your desired texture.

Can you use salsa instead of tomato sauce? Yes! Salsa can add more flavor and even a bit more spice to this rice recipe. Depending on the salsa you use, it can also add additional texture.

Can I add additional ingredients to the rice recipe? To add different flavors and textures, you can add chopped vegetables to the rice while it is cooking. I like to add chopped peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, diced green chiles, or even jalapenos.

How do I reheat leftover Spanish Rice? Make sure to store the leftover rice in an air-tight container in the fridge. The cooked Spanish rice will keep for a week. To reheat, just microwave or reheat on the stove for a few minutes. Add a couple spoons of water if the rice is too dry.

Can Spanish rice be frozen? This rice can be frozen. I like to place about 3 cups of cooked rice into a freezer bag. Make sure to label it Spanish rice. Store in the freezer for 4-6 months, for the best quality. When you need the rice for a meal, just reheat the rice in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave the rice on high stirring every 2 minutes until rice reaches your desired temperature.

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Check out these other recipes that use Extra Virgin Olive oil

 Roasted Tomatoes Made in The Air Fryer 

Rosemary and Caramelized Onion Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia

Caramelized Onions

Wild Mushroom Pizza With Caramelized Onions

Make sure to save this recipe on Pinterest

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Facts For Best Cooking

 I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

I thought I knew about what extra virgin olive oil is and how to best use it for cooking but an influencer event taught me even more information.

  I enjoy cooking healthy recipes and one of my preferred cooking oil is extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil adds wonderful flavor to my recipes. Olive oil is also a healthier choice as it is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats which are considered a healthy fat that has many benefits, including heart health. Extra-virgin olive oil also contains large amounts of antioxidants and can reduce inflammation, along with many other health benefits.

 So I was excited to attend the Flavor Your Life Influencer event hosted by Moms Meet as I wanted to learn more about extra virgin olive oil. I wanted to learn about how extra virgin olive oil was made. I knew that extra virgin olive oil was made from olives from an olive tree but that was where my knowledge ended. So I tuned into the online event to learn more about extra virgin olive oil from an olive oil expert Alissa Mattei, who lives in Italy.

About Alissa Mattei

 Alissa Mattei is an organic chemist, professional taster, recipe developer, and consultant. She has published numerous scientific articles and patents, has worked as a consultant for a multitude of companies and associations, and has organized tastings and scientific courses around the world. Additionally, she writes recipes from Tuscany and other Italian regions that incorporate olive oil. Today, she is the President of the Knoil Association, a non-profit that shares the culture of extra virgin olive oil, as well as an AIFO panel leader.

About Flavor Your Life

 The Flavor Your Life campaign aims to educate consumers about authentic extra virgin olive oil from Europe. This event was hosted in Italy and I loved that Alissa started the event in front of the olive trees that produce the extra virgin olive oil. It was cool to see an olive tree up close and to learn about the making of extra virgin olive oil from the harvesting of the olives all the way to the olive oil being bottled for use in your kitchen.

 I loved that the participants of the event could ask questions while Alissa talked about extra virgin olive oil. Seeing all the delicious-looking olives on the tree sparked my first question. I wanted to know if one could eat olives straight from the trees, as I enjoy eating olives. Alissa informed everyone that the olives are bitter and need to be processed first to be able to enjoy the taste of the olives.

 More questions were asked during the Flavor Your Life event using the chat function. So, in addition, the education on how extra virgin olive oil was made, I learned that the many types of olives from green to black olives are grown on the same tree but are picked at different stages of ripeness.

How Extra Olive Oil is made

 I loved learning and watching a video about how extra virgin olive oil is made. After the olives are harvested from the olive trees, they are washed. Then the olives are pressed into the oil without any heat or chemicals. During the olive oil-making process, the oil is tested for many things before it can be labeled extra virgin olive oil. I learned that extra virgin olive oil is virtually free of acidity - below 0.8% and that if the percentage of oleic acid was too high it would indicate improper production and rancidity.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting

 The very informative olive oil event also educated me on how a panel of trained experts tasted the olive oil for taste defects and positive attributes to see if qualifies for the extra virgin rating. While the processing of olives makes olive oil it has to have the right amount of fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness to receive the Extra Virgin rating. Tasting olive oil involved many senses like taste and smell and Alissa demonstrated how the trained experts did their olive oil tasting.

Using and storing extra virgin olive oil

 I think my favorite part about learning about extra virgin olive oil was learning how to cook with it. Chef Riccardo Zanni demonstrated how to make a delicious risotto with extra virgin olive oil and I was glad that Moms Meet sent me a bottle of Le Stagioni d' Italia 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Le Stagioni d' Italia Carnaroli rice so I can create the risotto at home. This delicious extra virgin olive oil will be perfect for Roasted Tomatoes Made In The Air Fryer.

 I learned that extra virgin olive oil has a high smoking point of 400°F so I can use it for cooking and baking. I also learned that I was storing my olive oil wrong. Olive oil should be stored somewhere dark and cold (around 57°F). So that meant not on the counter or near my stove and never in the fridge. Also, the oil needs to be in the bottle with the lid screwed on tight and used within 6 months of opening. So, that meant I could not store my olive oil in my fancy bottle, with the pour spout, next to my stove.

Extra Virgin Olive oil facts

● Extra virgin olive oil is made by pressing olive oil, without heat or chemicals

● Olive oils are tested for peroxide values. Lower values indicate fresher oil and more rapid processing.

● Extra virgin olive oil is virtually free of acidity — below 0.8%. If the percentage of oleic acid (fatty acid) is too high, it indicates improper production and rancidity. 

● A panel of trained, expert tasters tests for taste defects and the presence of positive attributes of fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness. If the oil doesn’t have the signature fruity taste and harmonious balance, it won’t receive an Extra Virgin rating.

● Extra virgin olive oil has a high smoking point of 400°F, so it is suitable for cooking and baking.

● Between use, store your oil somewhere dark and cool (around 57°F, if possible), not on the counter or near a stove, and never in the refrigerator. Keep the lid screwed on tight, and use your oil within six months of opening.

About Le Stagioni d’ Italia

● Le Stagioni d’ Italia takes great pride in bringing authentic Italian foods from seed to shelf, selecting seeds, harvesting crops, and packaging foods in their state-of-the-art production facilities in Northern Italy. 

● Le Stagioni d’ Italia’s short, fully traceable supply chain is guaranteed sustainability, and the great care they take with processing creates exceptional taste.

● 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the first cold-pressed olive oil from the first round of extraction of fresh, intact olives - it has not been heated during processing, so it retains its full nutritional value. 

● Harvested in Italy, it is vegan, gluten-free, and contains no additives or preservatives.

● It has a robust flavor of artichoke and almond, with a medium bitter and spicy aftertaste, as well as a green, ripe, fruity aroma with a leafy feel. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil inspired my cooking

 The Flavor Your Life event educated me a lot about extra virgin olive oil and I walked away with inspiration to use this oil in more recipes. I loved that this event gave us a recipe link to authentic Italian dishes that use extra virgin olive oil. I will be making some of these recipes in addition to the risotto. I can't wait until my Southwest garden gives me fresh veggies so I can roast them with the extra virgin olive oil.