Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Meal Prep | Meatless | Rice | Sides | Stovetop | Vegan
Chimichurri Rice
Quick, easy, and jam-packed with flavor, chimichurri rice takes a simple rice side dish to the next level! White rice is cooked with onions and crushed tomatoes, and then topped with a delicious homemade chimichurri sauce.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Chimichurri rice is very easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes! Adding just a few ingredients to rice is such a great way to add a ton of flavor. Homemade chimichurri is packed with fresh parsley and fresh cilantro, it’s fragrant, garlicky, herby and incredibly tasty.
- It’s super versatile! Use it as side dish to tacos, grilled chicken or steak, inside a burrito or quesadilla. It’s also such a great flavored rice to make ahead of time, and have on hand throughout the week for quick lunches or dinners.
Chef’s Tips
- The key is this recipe is to not overcook the rice. Nobody wants mushy rice, so it’s very important that you use a little less water than the rice packaging suggests, because the crushed tomatoes add that extra liquid needed. Always rinse the rice, then toast it by sautéing it with the cooked onion for a couple of minutes, add in the tomatoes, then the water. Bring it to a boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat to let simmer unbothered. Once the time is up, remove it from the heat, but leave it aside covered for a few minutes to finish the process, taste the rice to make sure it cooked all the way, or to your liking. If it’s not, let it seat covered a little longer, but no longer than 5 minutes. This will give you perfect rice every time!
- The more red pepper flakes you use in your chimichurri sauce, the spicier it’ll be, so it’s totally up to you and your preference. To keep it kid-friendly, using a ¼ teaspoon as listed in the recipe will give you a subtle small kick but nothing crazy at all.
- If you don’t feel like blending the chimichurri, you actually don’t have to. Just chop the fresh parsley and cilantro super finely, as well as the garlic, and mix all the ingredients together. It’ll be a tad more chunky, and some people prefer it that way.
Other Easy Delicious Recipes You’ll Love
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- Potato Crusted Cod
- Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
- Creamy Rotel Pasta with Ground Beef
- Frozen Burrito In The Air Fryer
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Chimichurri Rice
Super flavorful chimichurri rice is made with rice cooked with onions and crushed tomatoes, and mixed with a homemade fresh chimichurri sauce.
Recipe Makes: servings
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer
- large skillet with lid
- wooden spoon
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped yellow onion (approximately half of one medium onion)
- 1 ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- ⅓ cup crushed tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Add rice to fine mesh strainer and rinse well under cold running water. Drain, then place aside.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot and shimmery, swirl skillet to coat evenly. Reduce heat to medium, add chopped onion, and cook stirring often until onions are translucid, about 3-4 minutes.
- Once onion are cooked, add uncooked rice to skillet, mix in with onion and sauté stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes to rice, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Add water to skillet, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
- While rice is cooking combined together chimichurri ingredients into blender or food processor, and pulse until chopped and well combined.
- Once 15 minutes is up, remove skillet with rice from heat, then leave skillet covered for 4 to 5 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.
- Fluff rice with fork, add chimichurri sauce and stir in until combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with side of choice.
Notes
- Rice: Check your specific rice’s packaging for the exact cook time you should use. Most brands are very similar and will cook in 15 to 25 minutes.
- Water: We purposely reduced the water ratio by a ½ cup to account for the liquid from the crushed tomatoes.
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 223kcal | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 140mg | Total Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Net Carbs: 39g | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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