Easy Red Rice Recipes

CHARLESTON RED RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish; set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, kosher salt, sugar and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the bacon, water and rice. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet as you stir.
• Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover and bake until the rice is tender, about 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Fluff the rice, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.

CHARLESTON RED RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• Bring the rice, water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels; crumble the bacon once cooled enough to handle.
• Cook and stir the onions in the reserved bacon drippings until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the crumbled bacon, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce; bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon the cooked rice into the prepared baking dish and stir the tomato-bacon mixture into the rice until evenly combined.
• Cover the dish and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

ARROZ ROJO (MEXICAN RED RICE)

Steps:

• Grate tomatoes into a bowl using a box grater; discard tomato skins.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir rice into onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until rice is lightly toasted, about 3 more minutes. Stir grated tomato, chicken broth, and tomato sauce into the rice. Bring mixture to a boil.
• Mix in jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and salt; reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and simmer until rice has absorbed the liquid, about 15 minutes. Do not lift the cover while the rice is cooking.
• Turn off heat and let rice stand covered for 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork before transferring rice to a serving dish.