Mexican Rice

Syn Free Mexican Rice -  The perfect side dish to all your favourite Mexican Dishes.

I love Mexican food, but sometimes it can be difficult to create many of the dishes in a Slimming World friendly way.

One of my favourite side dishes to make, when I fancy some Mexican Inspired dishes, is this amazing Mexican Rice. It takes the usual plain rice to a whole other level.

All those delicious spicy Mexican flavours, with a little heat from fresh Jalapenos and the added protein of some black beans, will make you want to eat this Mexican Rice just as it is.

I use just regular long grain rice, the key to that lovely colour is the fresh paste I make before stirring in the rice. To make the paste you need a Mini Food Processor like this like the Koölle Electric Powerful 3-in-1 800 Watt Hand Stick Blender or a similar make will do the job too.

Once the paste is done, this Mexican Rice is super easy to make, just start it off on the stove and transfer to the oven, to finish off, which means it frees you up to get on with what you want to serve this.

One of my favourite dishes to serve this Mexican Rice with is these Mexican Burgers, a perfect dish when you fancy a burger night, but don't have a healthy extra B spare. Delicious juice burger stacks, topped with caramelized onions, ripe tomatoes, melted cheese and mashed avocado.

Most are scared off ever have avocado believing it to be super high in syns, but it really isn't as bad as you might think. Read more about the Syn Value of Avocado on Slimming world, with some amazing ideas for how to serve it.

I like to make this rice in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron is the perfect cookware because it can be used on the stove and transferred to the oven and it retains heat really well. With proper care, it will also last you a lifetime. In the USA it's a very popular choice to use to cook in, and many pieces are often past down generations for years because of how sturdy they really are. Lodge and Creuset are two of the most popular brands. Le Creuset is usually enamelled, whereas lodge is just seasoned.  Both are great for cooking. Although I tend to prefer to use my lodge cookware for searing meats etc.

I use my Le Creuset Enamelled Cast Iron Skillet for this Mexican Rice, but any pan with a lid that is okay to be used in the oven will work fine. Preferably one that is okay to be used on the stove too, but you can always transfer it from a pan to oven proof dish and cover with foil if not.

Want to make a Mexican Fakeaway Feast? Check out these other Mexican Inspired Dishes:

• Layered Mexican Dip
• Syn Free Mexican Pasta Bake
• Mexican Lentil Bake
• Syn Free Spicy Mexican Chicken Lasagne
• Low Syn Spicy Mexican Chicken and Rice
• Low Syn Turkey Rice Burrito Bowls
• Syn Free Chilli Con Carne
• Syn Free Fajita Chicken Pasta
• Pasta Chicken Enchiladas
• Syn Free Sweet Potato, Vegetable and Lentil Chilli

with many more to be found in my FULL RECIPE INDEX – over 700+ amazing Slimming World Recipes and fully searchable by meal type, syn value, ingredient etc.

Perfect garnished with some fresh slices of lime and chopped coriander (cilantro). The family will love this Mexican Rice served in the middle of the table to accompany your main meal.

HOW CAN I ADD A ⅓ SPEED FOODS TO THIS RECIPE?

I love just a simple salad of crisp lettuce of choice, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, but this would pair well with a variety of speed foods.

WHAT KITCHEN ITEMS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS CHICKEN AND CAULIFLOWER CURRY?

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE, LET US KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT, RATE IT AND  TAG US IN YOUR PHOTOS @SLIMMINGEATS ON INSTAGRAM

Continue to Content

Syn Free Mexican Rice | Slimming World

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendlyExtra Easy - syn free per servingGreen/Vegetarian -  syn free per servingWW Smart Points - 5

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) of long grain rice
• 1 cup (240ml) of passata
• 2 jalapeno peppers, (seeds removed)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2.5 cups (600ml) of chicken or vegetable stock
• spray oil
• 1 439g tin of  black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)
2. Add rice to a colander and rinse thoroughly.
3. Add passata, tomato paste, jalapeno’s, onion and garlic to a mini food processor and do a couple of whizzes of the blade.
4. Spray a large sauce pan over a medium high heat with some spray oil and add the paste to the frying pan, frying for approx 5 mins until softened.
5. Stir in the rice, black beans and  stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to the oven. 
6. Bake for approx  20-25 mins, until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
7. Serve topped with fresh chopped coriander and some lime wedges.

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.

All images and content on Slimming Eats are copyright protected.

Check Legal section, for Full Disclaimer, Disclosure and Privacy Policy. 

If you wish to share this recipe, then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post recipe or content in full. 

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 313Total Fat 0.5gSaturated Fat 0.1gSodium 209mgCarbohydrates 64.2gFiber 10.7gSugar 8.1gProtein 12.8g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram