This healthy one-pot Mexican inspired brown rice recipe is so easy to put together and there’s no chopping involved.  Just throw everything in a pot and cook covered.  It’s not a traditional recipe, we are using salsa for flavor and to make it a one-pot dish.  The salsa I typically use wasn’t very salty so I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the rice while it’s cooking.  When the rice is done turn off the burner and steam the rice in its pot with the lid on for about 10 minutes.  For some extra flavor tear up some fresh cilantro leaves to add to the rice before serving.

Serve this as a side to tacos or in a burrito bowl.  It would also work great as a filling with some beans in a burrito.

Brown Rice vs White Rice

I started to transition my family to a healthier diet with little tweaks to our meals: like choosing brown rice over white rice.  Brown rice is a whole grain and it’s full of health benefits.  According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, there are three parts to the whole grain: the bran, germ, and endosperm.  The bran is the outer layer, it’s full of fiber, b vitamins, iron, zinc, and magnesium.  The germ is the core, which is full of healthy fats, vitamin E, b vitamins, and antioxidants.  The endosperm is an inner layer of carbohydrate, protein, and some vitamins and minerals.  Refined grains (white rice) have the bran and germ removed, which makes it more shelf-stable.  After the grains have been processed, all that is left is the carbohydrate and significantly fewer nutrients.

I hope you enjoy this one-pot Mexican inspired brown rice recipe!

Mexican Inspired Brown Rice

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Allie
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 savings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Easy and simple one-pot Mexican inspired brown rice.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1¾ cups water (Plus a couple of extra tablespoons as needed)
• ½ cup salsa
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
• fresh cilantro (garnish)

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Instructions

1. Add the brown rice, water, salsa, cumin, and salt to a pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 40 minutes or until the rice is done. If your salsa is very chunky you may need a couple of extra tablespoons of water.
3. When the rice is cooked remove it from the heat and keep the lid on to steam for 10 minutes.  Then fluff the rice and garnish with fresh cilantro. 

• Category: Main Course, Side Dish
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: Mexican

Keywords: easy mexican brown rice, what to use brown rice for