Tomato Rice – easy summer side dish with Mediterranean flavors: tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and oregano!
Remember Potatoes in Tomato Sauce recipe from two years ago? People really liked it and so did I. This time I have for you a similar recipe with rice instead of potatoes.
It is quite a simple recipe with Mediterranean style flavors coming from onion, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and oregano.
You can make it in two ways – cooking on a regular stove or using a pressure cooker. Pressure cooker / Instant Pot method is a bit easier because you don’t need to stir the rice.
Since we are still in the middle of the summer, it is easy to find ripe tomatoes in markets or in our own gardens. So these days are perfect time to cook Tomato Rice. In the winter we will be able to make it as well using canned crushed tomatoes. Either way we can enjoy this great side dish!

- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cup long-grain rice, parboiled
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned is good)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt, pepper
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano / basil / parsley
- a knob of butter
- OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: 5-6 chopped olives, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese
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Saute onion in olive oil until translucent; add tomato paste and saute for about 2 minutes.
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Add remaining ingredients (except butter, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese).
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PRESSURE COOKER / INSTANT POT METHOD: cook on "Rice" setting for 12 minutes; natural pressure release.
REGULAR STOVETOP METHOD: cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through; add more broth or water if necessary. -
Add butter and stir.
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Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
This recipe was first published on: August 12, 2017
Great arroz side dish.
Thank you! 🙂
Tomato Rice is one of my favorite dishes to cook and hence it was pleasing to see the recipe here in your blog. But you have shared with a bit changes to mine in this recipe, so I’m eagerly waiting for the weekend to try this version of tomato rice. I’m a professional maid and currently working in Dubai, UAE in a housekeeping company. My current employer is having two kids and they are food lovers. They often beg me to try new items and serve them. I hope it will be a new experience for them as well to… Read more »