This easy Spanish Rice recipe has been a mainstay in my family for as long as I can remember. It's a really quick recipe which makes it perfect to make on a weeknight and is great for back-to-school. Delicious tomato sauce combines so well with ground beef and rice- the whole family will love this homemade, healthy meal!
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One thing I love about my family's Marinara Sauce is that here are plenty of variations for using it. While I will always have an extreme love in my heart for pasta, sometimes, pasta isn't the answer (Gasp!!). I know. I just said the unthinkable. But it's true. Marinara Sauce happens to be a delicious options for other vehicles of ingestion. One such vehicle is Spanish Rice.
The term Spanish Rice can sometimes be a source of confusion. This is because it means different things to different people. In my family this means a simple but delicious meal of marinara sauce, rice and ground beef. It's not one of those meals you break your back making. It's pretty fast to make. It's super satisfying. It's full of delicious flavor and it's relatively healthy. The recipe is actually more of an Italian Spanish rice. Random, I know. Either way, it's the perfect weeknight meal with a green salad (and if you're feeling fancy, a glass of red wine!).
With back-to-school time looming in a all-to-near future (or starting now in certain states) I couldn't think of a better time to share this family recipe. Because although I don't have any school age kids, my girls are both in daycare and J and I both work full time. So it sure does feel like back to school time in our busy home.
Isn't Adulting such a time suck?? I mean, I love the sense of pride we feel supporting ourselves and paying our bills. But it can be so hard getting and quality time with our girls between trying to get a healthy dinner on the table, cleaning up from dinner, bathing the girls and going about our bedtime routine. Something's gotta give, but we shouldn't have to sacrifice great food.
In the beginning, I wondered how these superwoman Moms did it. Especially as kids get older and you add activities and real school into the mix. But I'm beginning to learn that it's these super-simple, potentially life-saving recipes that not only taste amazing but are so easy to put together in a pinch. Bottom Line: Make this for your family. It will be an instant hit, the leftover reheat perfectly and it freezes really well!
Some of my other favorite weeknight recipes include:
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This easy Spanish Rice recipe has been a mainstay in my family for as long as I can remember. It's a really quick recipe which makes it perfect to make on a weeknight and is great for back-to-school. Delicious tomato sauce combines so well with ground beef and rice- the whole family will love this homemade, healthy meal!
20 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Yields 6-8 servings
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1-1 ½ lbs. of ground beef
- 2-3 cups of marinara sauce (minus the basil)
- 2-3 cups of instant rice
- Romano cheese for sprinkling
- Crushed red pepper for sprinkling (if you're feeling spicy!)
Instructions
- In a saute pan, cook the beef over medium heat until fully browned. Drain well.
- Mix the marinara sauce in with the beef and simmer for 10 minutes.
- While the beef and sauce simmer, cook your rice.
- Once the rice is cooked, mix it into the sauce and beef mixture. You want it to have a nice, wet texture without being soupy.
- Sprinkle with Romano cheese and crushed red pepper and enjoy!
Notes
Some people feel that the rice sucks up all of the sauce. If this is a concern for you, you can always serve the rice on the side and add it to the sauce and beef mixture when serving. This reheats and freezes very well.
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