Tomato Rice

This easy tomato rice makes such a great side dish! It’s super easy to make, packed with flavor, and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. 

Why This Recipe Works

We’ve been making this easy rice dish for years and it’s always a real winner. The recipe couldn’t be much easier and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. And you don’t have to do much while the rice is cooking on the stovetop. 

You need only a handful of ingredients that are super budget-friendly. You can find anything you need in every supermarket. 

Ripe tomatoes and tomato paste give the rice the perfect tomato flavor. To give the tomato rice an intense flavor, I used a combination of dried oregano, cumin, coriander, and paprika powder. 

I love to top the rice off with freshly chopped parsley. You could also sprinkle it with red pepper flakes if you like. 

If you like to make the rice more spicy, you can add sambal oelek. It’s a hot sauce that is made with red chile peppers, salt, and vinegar.

What Goes Into This Recipe

• Rice – use long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine) with a cooking time of 15-20 minutes. 
• Onion & Garlic 
• Spices – I used paprika powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. 
• Tomatoes – you need two medium-sized tomatoes. They should be pretty ripe. 
• Tomato Paste – use a high-quality tomato paste for the best flavor.
• Sambal Oelek – it gives the tomato rice the perfect spiciness. Leave it out if you’re making this dish for kids or people who aren’t into spicy food. 
• Parsley – sprinkle the rice with freshly chopped parsley. 
• Vegetable Broth – I usually use organic, low-sodium vegetable broth. Or use my homemade paste for vegetable broth made of fresh vegetables and herbs. It lasts months in the fridge. 

How To Make This Recipe 

1. Step: Finely chop the onion and the garlic. 

2. Step: Roughly dice the tomatoes. 

3. Step: Heat some oil in a large pot and sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. 

4. Step: Add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook for 1 minute. Then add the spices and cook for another minute until fragrant. 

5. Step: Add the rice and stir well. 

6. Step: Add the vegetable broth. 

7. Step: Then add the tomatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

8. Step: Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

• I haven’t tried making this tomato rice with brown rice yet. I prefer to use basmati or jasmine rice for this recipe as it has a much shorter cooking time and it soaks up the flavors better. 
• If you don’t like spicy food or if you’re cooking for kids, leave out the sambal oelek. One tablespoon roughly equals a small chopped jalapeño. I used 1/2 teaspoon in my recipe and it’s not very spicy. Adjust the amount to your personal liking. 
• For a more buttery version, you could add two teaspoons of vegan butter at the end of the cooking time. 
• I love to serve this tomato rice with vegan gyros and vegan tzatziki, but it’s great with all kinds of vegan meal alternatives, a green salad, or a yogurt dip. It’s also great with vegan feta. I also like to add frozen peas to the rice (add them towards the end of the cooking time). 

FAQs:

How Long Does This Recipe Last? 

Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the rice lasts up to three days. 

Where Can I Find Sambal Oelek?

You can usually find it in the Asian food section next to sriracha and other kind of hot sauces.

 

Related Recipes:

• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Lemon Rice 
• Vegan Fried Rice 
• One Pot Vegetable Rice with Bell Pepper and Peas
• Thai Pineapple Fried Rice 
• Vegan Jambalaya with Beans 

I Love To Hear From You!

I hope you like this tomato rice as much as we do around here.

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

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Sina