Hey guys! It’s been a little quiet around the blog this week because of chaos elsewhere and the fact that I lost my internet connection for a couple of days (my worst nightmare). BUT I’m still keeping up with my meal prep and to prepare for that this week I made a big batch of Taco Rice. What is Taco Rice? It’s simply rice that has been seasoned with the same herbs and spices that I’d use to season taco meat. I’ve made several versions of this in the past, but this time I kept it simple and made it vegan-friendly!
How to Serve Easy Taco Rice
What can you do with taco rice? Welllllllll just about everything. Serve it as a side with beans like what you get at a Mexican restaurant (Mexican-American, that is), use it to fill a burrito, or build a delicious bowl meal on top of it. This rice is flavorful, but neutral enough to serve as a base for several different dishes. Here are some recipes that you can serve with Taco Rice:
Don’t Skip the Fat
What makes this taco rice extra yummy? The fat. #sorrynotsorry. I used a neutral oil, but you could use whatever type of oil or fat you like best, just as long as there’s enough to lightly coat every grain of rice and make it absolutely deee-lish.
Easy Taco Rice
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 small onion ($0.32)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 2 cups long grain white rice* ($1.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder** ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp oregano ($0.02)
- 3 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and cooking oil to a medium sauce pot. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the uncooked rice, chili powder, cumin, and oregano to the pot. Continue to stir and cook for about 2 minutes to toast the rice and spices. You should hear the rice making crackling noises.
- Finally, add the water and salt, and give everything a brief stir. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low, or slightly above low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes without removing the lid. After letting it rest for 10 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Taco Rice – Step by Step Photos
Begin by finely dicing one small onion and mincing a clove of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a medium sauce pot with 2 Tbsp of your preferred cooking oil (I just used canola). Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
Add 2 cups uncooked white long grain rice, along with 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp salt. Continue to stir and cook the rice and spices for about 2 minutes. This will toast the rice and spices and enhance their flavor. You should hear the rice making crackling noises.
Add 3 cups of water and give the pot a brief stir. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low (or just slightly above low) and let the pot simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit with the lid in place for 10 minutes. Finally, uncover the rice and it should look a little like the photo above. :)
Fluff the rice with a fork to redistribute the spices and onions which probably floated to the top.
Sprinkle sliced green onions over the Taco Rice just before serving. And try not to eat spoonfuls right out of the pot. :P
I squeezed some lime when it was done and I gotta tell you, this rice is amazing!!
I made this with leftover brown rice, just added a splash of water when I added the rice. Easy and delicious!
Great to hear that it works with the brown rice too! Thanks Cindy!
Have you tried this with your rice cooker?
I haven’t, but this should work very well in a rice cooker. :)
Loved this recipe! I used it to make little bean burritos at work for lunches. It was great reheated. About how long is the refrigerator shelf life on this recipe? Thanks!
This has been my go to recipe for any Tex-mex themed dinner since it was posted. Just made my latest batch today for pinto beans and rice topped with shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa and sour cream. Thanks Beth for all that you do.
I made this over the weekend in my instant pot and omg its soo good! Thank you :D Paired this with your oven baked fajitas and enchilada sauce :D Everything was a hit!
Again I made another of your brilliant recipes. Thank you so much for providing such creativity at an affordable price. We will be eating the taco rice today with chicken burgers. My daughter is having chicken thigh burgers made with sweet peppers and chilies; I am having chicken thigh burgers with lemon, thyme, and capers.
I am making dinner for a LARGE group of people… would this be ok to make in bulk the day before and reheat somehow?
I think it would definitely be better to make the day of.
Is the oregano dried leaves or ground oregano?
Dried leaves
My rice came out crunchy and undercooked. As listed, the recipe calls for 3 cups of water and 2 cups of rice. Shouldn’t the recipe be a 2:1 ratio? Thanks Beth. Love your site!!
I find rice to be a bit too mushy if I use 2:1, so I prefer a 1.5:1 ratio. Crunchy or undercooked rice can also sometimes be a symptom of uneven cooking from cookware that doesn’t heat evenly, but if you’re used to a 2:1 ratio I’d try that first to see if the problem resolves. :)
I made this and it turned out really good! I added some also fresh okra and some beef boulion to increase the flavor a little bit. I served with some beef I marinated and it was a great combination! I think you could also switch up what veggies you add if desired.
I made it and it turned out great. It’s better than the rice served in Mexican restaurants. I did not use a rice cooker, I just cooked it all in a large pan. I also cooked Mexican pinto beans to have with it, so this will be my lunch for the rest of the week.
Could you make this in a rice cooker somehow?
Sure, just put all the ingredients in the cooker and press go. It should work the same. :) If you want you can sauté the onions in the skillet first and then transfer it to the rice cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
Oh. My. Gosh. The Easy Taco Rice is so freaking good!!!! I’m going to make this recipe again soon. Thanks, Beth!!! :-)
I failed to mention that I cooked the taco rice in chicken broth for flavor. :-)
Glad you liked it, LaTrice! Always nice to hear from you! :)
Hey Beth! Would it be possible to use brown rice with this recipe?
Yes, as long as you adjust the cooking time and water ratio to match what the directions say for your brown rice. :)