Cheesy Mexican Salsa Rice
Using just 3 ingredients, this rice side dish is super easy to make! It is the perfect side dish for a Mexican dinner.
Anytime I am cooking, I love any hack or shortcut that can simplify home cooking. This salsa rice recipe is a super simple way to make Mexican rice that both tastes great and is a breeze to prepare.
We love Mexican food, including tacos, fajitas, burritos, flautas and more. When it comes to cooking Mexican food, I like to make a full meal with all sorts of dishes. This cheesy salsa rice is an ideal side dish for any Mexican dinner and I love how easy it is to make so that you can spend more time of any of the other dishes you plan to make.
This Rice Is EASY To Make!
I have some more traditional Mexican rice dishes on the site – Mexican Rice with Black Beans and Corn and Chorizo Fiesta Rice Bake. While both of those are delicious, I love how using a jar of salsa can gives the same Mexican flavours in this cheesy salsa rice and it can be cooked as quickly and easily as making plain white rice.
Stirring in some grated cheese to this salsa rice, gives it a creamy and cheesy flavour. I love using this rice as one of my fillings for burritos .
So good and so simple!
Ingredient Notes
This recipe for Mexican rice is so easy and uses only three ingredients and water!
- Salsa – the salsa is what gives the rice its Mexican flavour. Different types of salsa will give different flavours, and heat levels!
- Rice – I use long grain rice
- Grated cheese – you could use grated cheddar, Monterey jack or other kind of cheese. You could also use a cheese blend.
- Water
Salsa
This Mexican rice is so simple to make. Dump in the salsa with the water.
Obviously, there are different types of salsa out there. I like to use a ‘chunkier’ kind of salsa as that results in more chunks of tomatoes and peppers in the finished rice.
Expert Tip! Depending on your desired heat level, you can choose a salsa that is mild, medium or hot. Or you can also mix it up by using a jar that has corn or black beans in the salsa.
Rice
Add in the dry long grain rice and stir.
Boil
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let the rice simmer for 12 minutes.
Simmer
After the rice has finished cooking, check to see if all the liquid has been absorbed. If there is a bit more liquid, cook for a couple minutes more. Stir the rice so that it doesn’t clump together.
Cheese
Dump in the cheese. I use a blend of grated cheddar and monterey jack cheeses.
Stir in the cheese and keep stirring until the cheese is melted and creamed in with the rice.
More Mexican Recipes!
If you are looking to make a full Mexican meal, here are a number of other recipes that can go very well with this salsa rice.
Cheesy Mexican Salsa Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 2 cups salsa
- 2 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese cheddar, monterey jack or other cheese
Instructions
- Add rice, salsa and water to a pot and stir.
- Bring to a boil. Stir to make sure rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Lower heat to a simmer. Cover with with lid and cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
Per serving:
