This flavor-packed Mexican Brown Rice recipe is a quick and easy side dish. Using cooked brown rice, it only takes 15 minutes to make. Serve as a side on your next taco night, or make it into a meal by adding chicken, tofu, or beans.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Brown Rice: Use your favorite type of cooked brown rice. To make this quick and easy, use frozen brown rice or minute brown rice and cook according to package directions. If you don't have brown rice, you could always substitute white rice.
- Olive Oil: You need olive oil, or your favorite type of cooking oil, to sauté the veggies.
- Onion: One small yellow onion, diced.
- Garlic: Two cloves of minced garlic.
- Tomatoes: Diced Roma or Cherry tomatoes. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you could use canned diced tomatoes.
- Jalapeño: One jalapeño, seeds removed, minced. If you don't like spice, you can leave this out.
- Tomato Paste: A couple tablespoons of tomato paste with a couple tablespoons of water.
- Spices: Cumin, Paprika, Cayenne, Salt and Pepper.
- Cilantro and Lime Wedges: Garnish with roughly chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
How To Make Mexican Brown Rice
- Sauté the veggies in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 more seconds.
- Add the tomato paste, water, and spices and stir until combined.
- Stir in the cooked brown rice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with cilantro and lime wedges.
Serving Suggestions
This Mexican Brown Rice makes a great side dish for any of the following meals:
- Tacos/ Taco Bowls
- Enchiladas
- Burritos
or make it into a meal by adding any of the following:
- black beans
- cooked tofu
- shredded chicken
- over easy or sunny side up eggs
- more veggies (zucchini, corn, roasted sweet potatoes)
Other Mexican Inspired Recipes
To get even more recipes straight to your inbox, sign-up for the Fresh Apron Weekly Newsletter.
If you make this recipe, don't forget to come back and leave a 5-star rating and a comment below.
Print📖 Recipe
Mexican Brown Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American / Mexican
Description
This flavor-packed Mexican Brown Rice recipe is a quick and easy side dish. Using cooked brown rice it only takes 15 minutes to make. Serve as a side on your next taco night, or make it into a meal by adding chicken, tofu, or beans.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small onion, diced
- ¾ cup diced roma or cherry tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- salt and pepper, to taste
- roughly chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, tomatoes, and jalapeño. Cook 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste, water, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Stir until combined.
- Stir in rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
To make this quick and easy, use frozen brown rice (heated up) or minute brown rice (you can make this while you prep the other ingredients).
Nutritional Values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 105.7 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
MK says
I really enjoyed this rice! We made this to go with your shrimp taco recipe. We used "quick" rice (rice in a bag!) and the add ins were very easy to prep in advance. I used a large jalapeno, but the spice was definitely mild once everything cooked together. I will definitely make this again on taco night!