Easy Oven Baked Mexican Rice

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We love just about anything in the Mexican cuisine. In fact, we love it so much, Mexican night is always a weekly feast at our house. No matter what I cook, I have to include this fabulous recipe -Easy Oven Baked Mexican Rice. You don't have to depend on always eating out to have a tasty rice dish. With a little patience, you can have restaurant style rice for a fraction of the cost of sitting down in a restaurant.

Making rice, you don't have to have any special equipment. The only thing you need is a frying pan or a pot large enough to accommodate the rice as it cooks. I like to use my stainless steel frying pan. But when I first made this, I used both the frying pan to fry the rice and then switched over to my 5 quart pot for the oven. I don't know what I was thinking in using both, but I did and I quickly learned, my frying pan was large enough.

The one MAJOR piece of advice that I will share... BE SURE to fry your rice long enough so it will not become sticky while baking. Don't skimp on the length of time. Most of the time, my rice has a lot of very golden pieces throughout the pan. If you find that your rice is a little too wet at the end of 35 minutes, continue baking until the rice has completely cooked, about 5-10 minutes more.

Leftovers are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I can't tell you how well it reheats in the microwave, because we don't use one, but I can tell you how super yummy it is when reheated in the oven. I just spread it on jelly roll pan and heat through - light and fluffy and perfect for a quick lunch!

Light and fluffy Mexican Rice just like your favorite restaurant's.

Easy Oven Baked Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 can diced tomatoes

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cups long grain rice

  • ⅓ cup oil

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 cups chicken broth

  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place rice in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse in cold water. Be sure to shake out as much water as possible. Set aside to continue draining the water.

Chop onion in the food processor and add tomatoes and process until smooth.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add a few pieces of rice to check the heat. When they sizzle, place the rest of the rice in the pan and stir until golden brown, about 8 minutes. * Be sure to not let the oil get too hot. Reduce the heat, add the minced garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

Stir in broth and tomato mixture into the rice, bring to a boil. Stir well and cover. Place in oven for 30-35 minutes. Stir the rice halfway through the baking time.

Serve with your favorite Mexican entrée.