Tomato sauce rice uses plain canned tomato sauce to season a small pot of long-grain white rice. Garlic and cumin add savory flavor, while cilantro finishes the dish after cooking. The grains are toasted briefly in oil before the liquid goes in.
One cup of dry rice makes about four side servings. The broth is fourteen fluid ounces, equal to one and three-quarter cups, rather than an unclear weight measurement. A small covered saucepan is more appropriate than a broad uncovered skillet for this amount.
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Why This Recipe Works
Toasting the dry grains gives tomato sauce rice a lightly nutty base and coats them evenly before simmering. Stir during this stage so the bottom grains do not scorch while the upper grains remain untouched. The garlic is added only near the end of toasting to keep it from burning.
The covered simmer traps steam, and the final off-heat rest allows remaining moisture to distribute. Frequent lid lifting changes that balance. A little extra hot water is listed only for rice that remains firm after the original liquid is absorbed, not as an automatic addition.
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce Rice
For tomato sauce rice, use ordinary dry long-grain white rice, not instant rice or brown rice. The stated liquid and time are not written for those products. Plain canned tomato sauce is different from a heavily seasoned pasta sauce or concentrated tomato paste.
Use low-sodium broth and begin with the measured quarter teaspoon salt. Cumin and garlic flavor the base, and fresh cilantro goes in after resting. The three tablespoons oil are measured for toasting; there is no extra oil to add before serving. A small reserved water allowance is used only if needed.
Rice
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 cup dry long-grain white rice (Not instant or brown rice)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup plain canned tomato sauce
- 14 fluid ounces low-sodium chicken broth (1 3/4 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (Plus more after cooking if needed)
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- up to 1/4 cup additional hot water (Only if rice remains firm after liquid is absorbed)
How to Make Tomato Sauce Rice
Warm the oil in a two-to-three-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the dry rice and stir for four to six minutes until some grains turn pale gold and smell toasted. Do not wait for every grain to become dark. Add garlic and cumin and stir for thirty seconds.
Carefully pour in tomato sauce and broth, protecting against splashes, then add the initial salt. Stir once to distribute the ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly, lower the heat, and cook tomato sauce rice for about eighteen to twenty-two minutes without repeated stirring.
Check a grain near the end. If still firm and the pan is dry, add hot water one tablespoon at a time, up to a quarter cup, cover, and continue a few minutes. Once tender, remove from heat and rest covered ten minutes. Fluff gently with a fork, add chopped cilantro, and taste before adjusting salt.
How to Serve
Serve tomato sauce rice as a side to beans, chicken, vegetables, or tacos. Fluff before spooning it into four portions so the grains do not stay in a compact block. The recipe is a side dish; it does not include an unlisted meat topping or claim to be a complete high-protein meal.
Storage
Refrigerate tomato sauce rice promptly in a shallow container within two hours, or one hour above 90°F, and use within three days. Do not leave the pot on the counter overnight. Reheat portions with a little water until 165°F throughout, stirring to release cold pockets. Freeze for up to one month for quality and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
The FDA safe food handling guidance explains prompt refrigeration and temperature checks for perishable foods.
Tips and Variations
For tomato sauce rice, use a lid that fits and a burner low enough to maintain a gentle simmer. A strong boil can evaporate liquid before the center of the grains softens. If the base begins sticking, lower the heat and check the liquid rather than scraping hard and breaking the rice.
Different rice brands absorb somewhat different amounts. The small correction allowance is there for that reason, but changing the rice type needs more than an extra spoonful. Use the first batch to understand your own pan and burner without assuming the timer proves doneness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can tomato sauce rice use brown rice?
Not with the same timing and liquid. This method specifies ordinary long-grain white rice.
How much broth is fourteen fluid ounces?
It is one and three-quarter US cups. The amount here is a liquid volume.
Can I use tomato paste?
Not spoon for spoon. Paste is much more concentrated than the half cup of plain tomato sauce specified.
Should I stir while it simmers?
Stir once before covering, then leave it largely undisturbed. Fluff after the resting period.
Why rest off the heat?
A covered ten-minute pause lets moisture distribute before the grains are fluffed and served.
More Recipes to Try
- Easy Mexican Rice
- Salsa Rice with Black Beans
- Charred Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Black Bean Corn Salsa with Lime
Tomato Sauce Rice with Cumin, Garlic and Fresh Cilantro
Ingredients
Rice
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 cup dry long-grain white rice Not instant or brown rice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup plain canned tomato sauce
- 14 fluid ounces low-sodium chicken broth 1 3/4 cups
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt Plus more after cooking if needed
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- up to 1/4 cup additional hot water Only if rice remains firm after liquid is absorbed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 2–3-quart lidded saucepan. Stir the dry white rice for 4–6 minutes, stopping at light golden color.
- Add minced garlic and cumin for 30 seconds. Carefully stir in tomato sauce, broth, and the initial salt.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and lower the heat. Cook roughly 18–22 minutes until the grains are tender.
- If firm grains remain in a dry pan, add reserved hot water by the tablespoon, no more than ¼ cup total, and continue briefly under the lid.
- Take off the burner and rest covered 10 minutes. Fluff, fold in cilantro, taste salt, and portion into 4 side servings.
