Mexican Red Rice

My friend Kelli in Arizona shared this recipe with me not too long ago and I swear I will never buy a box of Rice-A-Roni Mexican rice (or Spanish rice) ever again! This is just like the stuff you normally find in restaurants.

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 cup white rice (or medium-grain)
1/2 cup bottled tomato salsa (or your fave homemade)
2 cups chicken broth (one can if you're using store-bought)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cups frozen peas

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Set a medium ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and rice. Stir frequently until the grains of rice turn from translucent to milky-white, about 5 minutes - don’t worry if some of them brown. Add the salsa, chicken broth and salt. Stir a couple of times, then let the mixture come to a full boil.

Pour into an oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil and set in the middle of the oven. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover, add the peas and re-cover. Bake 5 minutes longer, then remove from the oven, fluff the rice, releasing the steam and mixing in the peas. Place back into the oven (uncovered) for an additional 5-10 minutes until rice is nice and brown on the top.

Cook's Note: If you opt to use brown rice instead of white, double the amount of chicken broth and cook for 40 minutes instead of 20 before adding the peas.