Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
Packed with fresh spinach and cilantro, Arroz Verde (or Green Rice) makes for an easy and tasty side dish! Plus, it just looks cool!
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If I told you to pull out the blender and add a cup of fresh spinach and milk, you might think we were talking about a recipe for a green smoothie. But that blender also gets a handful of fresh cilantro and chicken broth. Ok, now that green smoothie is sounding a bit odd. Nope, this recipe is for Arroz Verde or “green rice.”
Not only is Arroz Verde visually attractive and fun, but it’s delicious, too! Our 6-year-son gave the rice a funny look, but after one bite he gave it “two thumbs up.” I agree with him!
Arroz Verde
Literally translated as green rice, Arroz Verde is just that. Rice that is cooked in a green broth of cilantro, spinach, chicken broth and milk. (The milk adds just a hint of sweetness to the final recipe. It balances well with the other savory ingredients in the dish.) As the rice cooks, it absorbs the green liquid. Once cooked, you end up with a pretty cool bowl of green rice. (Mental note – this recipe would be great for St. Patrick’s Day!)
Arroz Verde makes for a tasty side dish for all sorts of Mexican recipes. Grilled chicken or shrimp? Serve ’em up with a side of green rice! What about slow cooker carnitas? Green rice would be a great addition there! Tacos or quesadillas for dinner tonight? You guessed it – they’d be great with a side of green rice!
A side benefit of Arroz Verde is the boost in nutritional value that comes from a cup of spinach. Getting a 6-year-old to eat spinach? Yeah, that’s a challenge. Getting a 6-year-old to eat a bowl of green rice? Not so hard. It’s not as sneaky as hiding squash in brownies, but it’s just as effective!
This green rice recipe is delicious as is. I added a bit more salt to my portion, and I would’ve been perfectly happy eating a bowl of rice all by itself! (I couldn’t say that about a bowl of plain white rice.)
Arroz Verde variations
- Southwestern: Add 1-2 finely chopped poblano peppers in with the onions. Or get crazy and add a finely chopped jalapeno in there, too! If you add a poblano, then go ahead and add a teaspoon or so of cumin and smoked paprika – delicious!
- Italian: Hate cilantro? No worries, it’s a genetic thing! Instead of cilantro, use flat-leaf parsley or basil – or a combination of parsley and basil. In fact, basil rice sounds like a great side dish for grilled chicken with Italian herbs.
- Summer: Fresh corn season? Cut the kernels off of an ear of corn and add ’em in. The kernels can go in with the rice or just mixed in at the end depending on whether you want the corn cooked or not. Overloaded with zucchini? Grill up a zuke and then toss the rice with cubes of grilled zucchini before serving.
- Meat: Turn Arroz Verde into a full meal by adding some shredded pork, grilled sliced chicken or grilled salmon. Or use this Mexican green rice as a side for fajitas. The flavor would be amazing!
If you’re looking for a fun summer side dish, then put this recipe on the list. It’s easy and tasty…and it looks really cool, too! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do here in our house!
Did you make a batch of Arroz Verde at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). And if you come up with any fun new variations, let me know!!
Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock can use vegetable stock instead
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach packed
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro packed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cups basmati rice can use long grain rice instead
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- ½ tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Using a blender or food processor, add the chicken broth, milk, spinach, cilantro and salt; puree until smooth. Set mixture aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, add butter and olive oil and place over medium heat.
- Once butter has melted, add the rice and sauté, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the onions and garlic; continue sautéing, stirring often, for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the spinach mixture (from above); stir until well combined.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover pot with lid, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Gently fluff rice with a fork and continue cooking (covered) on low heat for 4-5 more minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Wondering what to serve with this dish? Check out some of these ideas:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegetable stock / almond milk and vegan butter i never had arroz verde green rice before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yes! I think those vegan substitutions would work just fine for this recipe, Ramya. This is a fun side dish, so let me know what you think!
Looks fantastic, David. I do like arroz verde, which I learned from a wonderful Mexican cookbook called “Frida’s Feasts” written by Frida Kahlo’s step-daughter. Definitely a winner!
Hmmm, I’ll have to check out that cookbook, Frank. Thanks for the suggestion!!
Love it. I have a green rice, too, but not with spinach. I love that addition!
Give this spinach version a try sometime, Mimi! It’s fantastic as a side dish next to marinated grilled chicken. 🙂
Wow how cool for kids and adults. I’ll be trying this as soon as possible, even perhaps here in France, for the Grandchildren. Thanks David.
Ah that would be fun to try making that for the grandkids, Pauline! It’s not designed to be a sneaky way to get veggies into food…but it totally works! Hope you’re having fun in France!!
Love the vibrant green the spinach and the cilantro add to the rice! A great way to add flavor to the rice too. Will have to try this one out for the boys 🙂
Yes – definitely try this one out for the boys, Michelle! Robbie liked that it was green. 🙂 Plus, the flavor is quite tasty!
Thank you for sharing this recipe for Arroz Verde! It looks like a great way to incorporate more vegetables into a meal and I love that it’s visually appealing as well. I’m excited to try it out and experiment with some of the variations you suggested, like the Southwestern and Italian versions.
While it’s not meant to be a ‘sneaky’ way to incorporate veggies into a meal, it totally works for that! Definitely give this rice a try, Raymund. I plan on trying this again with basil once the basil plants in the garden are fully grown!
this sounds great David. We eat a lot of rice in this house, so this would be a great addition to the repertoire. Hubby used to make coloured rice with actual food colouring so we often ate red or green or yellow or blue rice!!
Haha – rainbow rice!! 🙂 Yes, this is a fun recipe, Sherry. It looks cool, and it’s a sneaky way to incorporate extra veggies into your diet. I hope you enjoy it!!
This is one of my favorite Mexican side dishes! Can’t wait to give your version a try!
Thanks, Marissa! This is a fun and easy way to mix up the regular rotation of side dishes. 🙂