Pulled Pork Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)

This pulled pork Spanish rice includes corn and roasted hatch chilies. It is the perfect comfort food dish when you have leftover pulled pork. So easy to whip up and kids of all ages will devour it! Find more leftover pulled pork recipes here.

Yes, I have another fabulous way to use up leftover pulled pork! One of the cheapest cuts of meat you can buy is a monster size pork shoulder roast. And since we are feeding 3 teenagers in this house, I make that shredded pork go a long way.

Whether I have leftovers from making smoked pulled pork outdoors or from making crispy pulled pork in the oven, I love creating new recipes using this beloved ingredient.

We have enjoyed pulled pork tacos and pulled pork mac and cheese. When we have carnitas for dinner, their favorite way to eat it is with this delicious tomato rice you enjoy at Mexican restaurants.

It’s like a burrito bowl with all of your favorite burrito fillings. And the best thing about this dish, besides how budget friendly it is, is how easy it is to make it.

Ingredients you need

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• Long grain rice: Spanish rice is made with long grain rice. Short grain rice, like Jasmine, will get too mushy. I always have basmati rice on hand, so I use that to make this rice dish. You can also use long grain brown rice, but you will need to add about ¼ cup more broth per cup of brown rice and it will have to simmer a bit longer to absorb all the liquid.
• Roasted green chiles: For some extra flavor, I added roasted Hatch chiles. Depending on how spicy you like your food, you can use mild or hot green chiles. If you are like me, you have roasted green chiles in the freezer. You can totally use the canned chiles, too. If you don’t like it spicy, feel free to add some chopped bell peppers, red, orange or green.
• Corn: You can use frozen kernels or cut the fresh kernels off the cob.
• Tomato sauce: You can also use chopped tomatoes, salsa or tomato paste. If using tomato paste, use 1-tablespoon with 1-cup water or extra broth.
• Chicken broth: Feel free to swap out the chicken broth and use vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian
• Shredded pork: If you don’t have leftover pulled pork or carnitas, this dish is excellent with leftover chicken or steak, too. You can also not include meat and use this as a side dish.
• Onions: You can use white or yellow onions. If you don’t have any, you can skip it and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
• Extra olive oil: I pretty much use olive oil in all of my cooking. It can come in a variety of flavors, from mild to spicy. You can use any variety of olive oil or use any neutral oil like corn or canola oil.
• Garlic: I prefer the flavor from fresh garlic, but you can also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Seasonings: chile powder, paprika, cumin and sea salt.
• Toppings: You can serve the rice as is or top with fresh cilantro, red onions, green onions, chopped avocados and/or a squeeze of fresh lime juice – perfection!

Step-by-step directions

1. Sauté onions. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and sauté onions in olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in corn and continue cooking for another minute or two.
2. Sauté rice. Add the rice and sauté the rice, stirring frequently until the grains are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Continue stirring the rice continuously so the rice does not burn.
3. Add seasonings. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and sauté briefly, about 30 seconds. Stir in salt and spices until rice is coated evenly. Stir in roasted chiles and then tomato sauce.
4. Add stock. Once everything is incorporated, slowly pour in the chicken stock. When the liquid begins to boil, cover the pot and reduce to low heat. Cook until the all of the liquid is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes.
5. Fluff and finish. Turn off the heat, keep the cover on, and allow the rice to rest for 5 minutes. Gently fluff the rice and stir in the shredded pork.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

For toppings, I like to add chopped cilantro, red onions or green onions. If I have ripe avocados available, I like to chop them into chunks and add them to the mix. And don’t forget a squeeze of fresh lime juice – perfection!

You can also omit the meat and use the rice recipe as a side dish to a variety of dishes like my Oven Roasted Tri Tip with Chili Lime Seasoning or my Air Fryer Chicken Legs with Chipotle Glaze.

If you are looking for your a way to use your pulled pork with leftover rice, try my sausage fried rice recipe and swap out the meat.

Leftover Pulled Pork Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

This pulled pork Spanish rice includes corn and roasted hatch chilies. It is the perfect comfort food dish when you have leftover pulled pork. So easy to whip up and kids of all ages will devour it!

4.25 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Additional Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Spanish

Servings 8

Calories 331 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoon extra olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon chile powder
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 4 oz diced roasted green chiles
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 12 oz shredded pork
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lime cut into wedges (optional)

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Instructions

 

• Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add onions and sauté until softened, about 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in corn and continue cooking for another minute or two.
• Add the rice and sauté the rice, stirring frequently until the grains are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Continue stirring the rice continuously so the rice does not burn.
• Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and sauté briefly, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in salt and spices until rice is coated evenly.
• Stir in roasted chiles and then tomato sauce.
• Once everything is incorporated, slowly pour in the chicken stock.
• Once the liquid begins to boil, cover the pot and reduce to low heat.
• Cook until the all of the liquid is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, keep the cover on, and allow the rice to rest for 5 minutes.
• Gently fluff the rice and stir in the shredded pork.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges (optional).

Notes

There are a number of ways to customize this dish to your own personal liking.

Instead of tomato sauce, use 2 tablespoon tomato paste and 6 ounces of water. You can also use 8 oz of your favorite tomato based salsa.

You can also add chopped tomatoes (¾ cup) for more tomato flavor. If you don’t like spicy food, you can sauté ¾ cup diced bell peppers with the onions.

Not a fan of cilantro? Top your rice with chopped red onions or green onions.

You can also make this dish with long grain brown rice. Just add an additional ¼ cup of chicken stock for every cup of brown rice. The brown rice will also take additional time to cook, about 15-30 more minutes.

TO STORE: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

TO FREEZE: Many people ask about freezing rice. Yes, you can technically freeze cooked rice. Unfortunately, once thawed and reheated it gets a bit mushy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 331kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 17gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 1085mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g

Keyword leftover pulled pork, mexican rice, pulled pork and rice, spanish rice

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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