Name: Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 cup of cooked Basmati Rice; 3 Tbsp Olive Oil; 1 Lg Onion, diced small; 6 cloves Garlic, minced small; 1/2 Lg Organic Red Pepper, diced small; 1/2 Lg Organic Green Pepper, diced small; 1 can Organic Black Beans, rinsed and drained; 1 cup Organic Yellow Corn, drained; 1 1/2 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Paprika; 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper; 1/2 tsp Oregano; 1 cup Vegetable Broth or 1 cup equivalent with Vegetable Better Than Bouillon; 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped; 1/2 cup Green Onions, sliced

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A Complementary Side Dish Full Of Spice And Flavor

This Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice is so balanced in all the Mexican flavors that we love. This recipe is made with a base of corn and black beans with a light tomato base. Laced with a delicious addition of spices of cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and oregano. Mixed in with a finishing touch of a fresh bunch of chopped cilantro and green onions. Make this recipe by it’s self as a main meal or as a side dish to complement most any Mexican recipe. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or BBQ parties.

This is a photo of a black bowl filled with confetti Mexican fiesta rice. — Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice. Photo by Spicy Saucy Vegan

A Little History Of Mexican Rice

Some wonder if Mexico grew rice as a domestic grain. Not True! Let’s see how this all started.

Some say the Portuguese brought the rice to Spain, some say it was the Spanish with it’s mass travels to Asia and some say the Moors migrated and brought the rice. So let’s go back to Asia, to the Middle East to the road of Europe to the 10th century when rice was incorporated into the cuisine of Spain. After that the Spanish brought this infiltrated grain as their loved cuisine to the New World during the 15th and 16th century.

The wonderful tropical climate and fertile lands of Mexico started a robust new cultivation of rice to Mexico. This new exotic grain soon became the staple food of Native Mexicans with both Spanish and Mexican infusions. Today, to our amazement rice in Mexico produces up to 25% of all national production. The rice is grown in ten states in Mexico with Nayarit being this top 25% production state.

Some might ask, what is the difference between Mexican and Spanish rice? The difference between Mexican rice and Spanish rice is that Mexican rice is fluffier and doesn’t stick together. However, Spanish rice tends to be stickier and yellow in color. Mexican rice in more on the orange red color because of the cumin spice that is used for it’s nutty and spicy taste. Both are delicious and worth a try to make on your own. There are only a few versions, you can’t mess it up.

This is a photo of a black bowl filled with Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice with a colorful bright striped napkin behind it. — Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice. Photo by Spicy Saucy Vegan

How To Make Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice

Needless to say the title of this recipe creation is a play on words. Surely for what this recipe looks like and it’s definitely a good choice for a party dish. It’s a guarantee that it will go fast!

There are traditional ways to make this recipe, but I went another direction. I cooked the rice first and I used Basmati rice instead of long grain because that is what I had and it worked really well. So use any long grain rice for this dish.

Second, I cooked down the onions, garlic and red and green peppers with salt in three tablespoons of olive oil until the mixture was very soft.

This is a photo of onions, garlic and red and green peppers diced and sautéing in a frying pan.

Then after they were finished sautéing I added the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, black beans and corn.

This is a photo of a small brown ceramic bowl with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and oregano in it.

Add 1 cup of vegetable broth or equal to one cup of Vegetable Better Than Bouillon and sauté on low to heat through for a minute to infuse all the flavors. Then add the fresh cilantro and sliced green onions and add the lid on for two minutes.

This is a photo of a skillet full confetti Mexican fiesta rice with cilantro and sliced green onions on top.

Mix gently as to not smash the beans in with the mixture. It’s ready to serve! Add an additional squeeze of lemon or lime over the top or serve with a citrus wedge on the side of the plate. Enjoy!

Various Ways To Make Mexican Rice

This is a creation and not a traditional recipe for Mexican rice. Most traditional Mexican rice is fried in oil before cooking the rice. Plus, the rice is normally cooked in all together in broth with peas. I prefer this variation with black beans and yellow corn with fresh cilantro and green onions. It’s so robust in flavor with these extra ingredients.

This is a photo of a black bowl filled with Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice with green onions, red peppers, green peppers and a colorful striped napkin next to the bowl. — Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice. Photo by Spicy Saucy Vegan

How To Add Easy Confetti Mexican Fiesta Rice To Other Dishes.

This recipe is wonderful as a side or main course, but it can be used in other ways. For instance, it is wonderful in a burrito, or in a vegan taco, added to Mexican casserole, top with spiced grilled vegetables and avocado or a filling for enchiladas. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

I hope you really love this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy!

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