It’s 4:30pm on a Thursday. I haven’t eaten all day. I have a load of fresh produce in the fridge. What do I do? Make a Spanish Rice Salad. This has got to be one of the quickest and easiest dinner recipes I know that has bold flavors, fresh veggies and little prep work. It takes about 15 mins total from start to finish, and it takes me less than 5 mins to consume it all.
Ingredients
I live by myself so I normally make everything for just one person. This recipe is for a single serving. The Spanish rice portion is enough for 2-3 servings.
- 1 x package of Knorr Spanish Rice (btw, this isn’t sponsored by Knorr or anything. I’m just lazy AF and need an instant rice dish, haha!)
- 2 tbsp x olive oil or vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
- 2 cups x water
- 1/2 cup x fresh broccoli
- 3/4 cup x white button mushrooms
- 1 x jalapeño
- 1 x head of romaine lettuce
- 2 x pearl tomatoes
- 1 x persian cucumber
- 1 x wedge of lime
- cilantro (it’s for garnish so use at your discretion)
- 1/4 cup x shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Prep
The prep work can be split up into two parts (Spanish Rice & Salad) so that you use your time more efficiently. For the Spanish Rice:
- Chop the broccoli (if it’s not already chopped)
- Chop the white button mushrooms to half pieces if they’re small, otherwise quarter pieces if they’re larger mushrooms
- Slice the jalapeño into 1/4 inch slices
Cooking
This takes approximately 10 mins.
Follow the directions on the back of the Knorr Spanish Rice package. [Tip: before you add the 2 cups of water to the saucepan, heat the contents of the package with the 2 tbsp of olive oil for a minute or two. This will make the rice taste better]. Once it comes to a boil and you reduce the heat and simmer, add in the mushrooms, broccoli and jalapeños then cover. Set the timer for 7 mins and you can start making the salad. Chop up the romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. Squeeze the lime wedge over the salad. Chop up the cilantro for garnish. Once the 7 mins is up, turn off the heat and let the rice stand for at least 2 mins. Serve the rice over the salad and add cilantro and cheese on top.
Presto. You have dinner. Save the remainder of the rice for lunch the next day, or if you’re like me, eat some around 11pm that very night before you go to sleep because that’s just how we live life.
xo, Linda
