Simple Spanish Rice

This is something my grandmother used to make, but she never used a recipe. It took me a long time to figure out just what she did. I think this is as close to hers as it gets. It's just a simple rice side dish, but if you add a pound of cooked ground beef or chicken you can serve it as a meal. I hope you enjoy.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 359 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups instant rice
• 1 (11 ounce) can vegetable juice (such as V8®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir rice, onion, and bell pepper in hot oil until the vegetables are slightly tender and rice is lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.

Step 2

Stir diced tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato sauce, water, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes more.