Perfect Mexican Rice

You’ll love this easy Mexican Rice that is boosted with vitamins and flavor! I partnered with R. W. Knudsen to bring you this side dish recipe.

Today I’ve got a perfect Mexican rice recipe for you, and one of the reasons I think it’s perfect is that it’s boosted with extra vitamins! I made it with one of R. W. Knudsen’s new vegetable juices, so all that veggie goodness is cooked right into every grain of rice. If you haven’t seen these juices yet, they come in all sorts of flavors like Very Veggie Spicy, Organic Carrot, and Organic Tomato Sriracha. I love that these juices are organic and non-GMO, so I know I’m feeding my family clean, quality food. They are good for drinking on their own, but the recipe possibilities are endless! Sneaking extra vegetables into my recipes is a small win, but as a mom of two always-on-the-go boys, I’ll take whatever easy wins I can get.

Speaking of vegetables, around these parts (San Francisco), a lot of the taquerias and other Mexican restaurants have peas and carrots in their rice. Not a lot, but just a bit here and there for some added texture. I added peas and carrots to my version too to mimic that, but you can certainly leave them out if you prefer. You could also just use one or the other. That’s your business. Frozen peas and carrots will work great, but if you only have canned peas and/or carrots, I would just leave them out. The canned variety is so soft that I don’t think it will add the texture you’re looking for in the finished dish.

You know what pairs well with Mexican rice? Refried beans of course! Lucky for you, I have a shortcut version of refried beans that comes together really quickly. If you REALLY wanted a feast, serve the beans and rice along with slow cooker carnitas, and you’ll think you’re in a Mexican restaurant right at your own dinner table!

You’ve probably seen R.W. Knudsen juices in your local grocery store, but if you’re looking for a particular flavor, they have a VERY handy store locator on their website. You can select the exact juice you want, and it will show you were you can find it in your area. For this recipe, I used the Organic Tomato Red Pepper Juice, but you could choose any of the tomato-based juices that sound good to you. If I was just cooking for my husband and myself, I probably would have chosen one of the spicy flavors, like Organic Tomato Sriracha, but my boys love Mexican rice too. I didn’t want to make it too spicy for them to eat!

What other ideas do you have for ways to use R.W. Knudsen veggie juices? Smoothies are an obvious choice, but I’m also looking forward to using them in soups, slow cooked meat dishes, even baking! A carrot cake with carrot juice or red velvet cupcakes with beet juice would be out of this world. I shouldn’t spill all my ideas now though! Keep an eye out for more recipes boosted with vitamins from veggie juice, and try them for yourself at home too!

Perfect Mexican Rice

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You’ll love this easy Mexican Rice Recipe that is boosted with vitamins and flavor!

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 cup R.W. Knudsen Organic Tomato Red Bell Pepper Juice
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• salt and hot sauce to taste

 

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot, and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and uncooked rice, and stir fry for about two minutes longer.
3. Pour in tomato juice, chicken broth, water, and cumin. Stir, and bring to a low boil. Add frozen peas, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
4. Remove cover, and stir in cilantro. Add salt and/or hot sauce to taste. Your Mexican Rice is ready to serve!

 

Notes

• You can substitute a cup of frozen mixed peas and carrots for the fresh carrot and peas if you’d like. (Add the frozen vegetables together as directed above.)
• If you don’t have fresh cilantro, use one tablespoon of dried cilantro instead.
• If you prefer brown rice, the recipe should work as written, but increase the simmering time to 40 minutes.

 

• Author: Andi
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 25

Thank you again to R. W. Knudsen for generously sponsoring today’s Mexican rice recipe! Check them out on Facebook for more recipes and other inspiration.