Tomato Rice Pilaf
Updated May 19, 2025
This Tomato Rice is made with brown rice, fresh tomatoes and warm Mediterranean spices. It's the perfect side dish and I'll show you how to prepare it!
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My Tomato Rice is so good!
This Tomato Rice is a staple Mediterranean recipe that I make for my kids all the time. We enjoy it as a side dish, and sometimes I even bulk it up with chicken or hashweh ground beef and make it as a main meal.
This tomato rice is similar to Spanish-style rice with tomato sauce. The cooking process involves cooking onions, garlic, and spices with tomato paste and rice. But the flavor profile with the cinnamon and cumin leans toward the Mediterranean.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Tomato Rice Ingredients
- Long-grain brown rice: Adds a nutty flavor and chewy texture. You can use white rice, but adjust cooking time accordingly as white rice cooks much faster.
- Fresh Roma tomatoes: You can substitute with any type of tomato that you have on hand; the riper the better.
- Vegetable broth: Swap for water if needed or use chicken broth or bone broth.
- Tomato paste: If you are out, use a tablespoon of marinara or tomato sauce.
- Onion: Swap for whatever you have; red onion, white onion or even shallot.
- Garlic: Fresh will add the best flavor, but if you are out use 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Olive oil: You can substitute with any type of cooking oil that you have on hand. Butter works too, just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t brown.
- Cinnamon, cumin & salt: A little cinnamon goes a long way in this recipe. Cumin is a warming spice that gives the dish a Mediterranean flavor.
How to Make Tomato Rice Pilaf
Step 1: Cook onions and garlic until fragrant in a pot with some olive oil.
Step 2: Add in the rice, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, chopped tomatoes, and salt.
Step 3: Cook until combined and fragrant.
Step 4: Add vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer.
Tomato Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain brown rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Roma tomatoes seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Place the rice in a mesh sieve and rinse with cold water while agitating the rice with your hands to release as much starch as possible, until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute more. Stir in rinsed rice, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, chopped tomatoes, and salt, and cook until well combined, about 2 more minutes.
- Add vegetable stock and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Remove from heat and allow the rice to steam covered for 5 more minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
If you try this Tomato Rice recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe.
Recipe Tips
- Rinse the rice. You always want to rinse brown rice before cooking to remove any dirt or debris. Rinsing also helps remove some of the starch. If you need additional help with cooking your brown rice, just click the underlined text!
- Seed the tomatoes. This keeps the liquid in the recipe under control since the juice from tomatoes can vary from one to another. The best way to seed tomatoes is to cut them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the inner seeds and liquid. Don’t toss this, as it can be used for soups and stews!
- Soak up excess moisture. When the rice is done cooking, remove from heat, then add a paper towel or folded tea towel over the pot, then add the lid. This will keep the texture light and fluffy.
Serving Ideas
- Cilantro Chicken and Veggie Skewers
- Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken
- Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken
- Simple Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
FAQs
Let your tomato rice cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When reheating, add a little water or broth to help rehydrate the rice. I like to reheat my rice in the microwave, but you can also reheat it on the stovetop over low heat.
Yes! Just place your cooled rice in a freezer-safe bag or container, and it will last in the freezer for up to six months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to eat before reheating.
There are a few things that can cause this. The most common reason is using too much liquid when cooking the rice and then overcooking to try and evaporate the excess. Be sure to use the proper ratio of rice to liquid, and don’t overcook! Make sure you’re using the correct ratio of rice to liquid. Another reason could be that you didn’t rinse the rice before cooking which removed some of the starch. This can lead to mushy rice as well.
This can be caused by a few things as well. The most common reason is not using enough liquid when cooking the rice. Brown rice also takes longer to cook than white rice, so make sure you’re using the correct cook time. If you find your rice is still hard after cooking, add a little more liquid and continue to cook until tender.
More Rice and Grain Recipes
This Tomato Rice recipe was originally published on March 14, 2017. The recipe has been slightly modified, and the post now includes new step-by-step photos for how to make the rice pilaf recipe.
Comments
I LOVED it! I eyed the measurements for the cumin and cinnamon (I’m Arab) and I skipped on the tomato sauce, I just cooked the tomatoes with the onions and garlic until they were puréed. I served it as a side with roasted aubergine and tahini. And let me tell you it was SO FRICKIN GOOD and so comforting!
Yum, love that you paired it with roasted eggplant and tahini!! Thank you for sharing, Sopheia! So glad you loved the recipe!!
Fabulous recipe, a nice version and nails that nice pilaf flavor! I got a little wild added 2 tsp of coriander seed which I ground with a mortar & pestle , though otherwise it’s all your recipe. Love this and so many others, thanks for your great work & great cooking!
Thanks so much!
What is the serving size? In grams if possible but cups is fine. X
Hi Rachel, great question! Every cup of uncooked rice makes about 3 cups of cooked rice. So these 2 cups of uncooked rice will make about 6 cups of cooked rice. We assume about 3/4 cup of cooked rice per serving per person. You’ll have to let me know how you liked it!
Could chicken thighs be added to this while cooking? Thanks!
Yes! I often bulk up this side dish by adding cubed chicken, steak, or ground beef. If you’re adding either, I recommend adding with the onions, and you may need to reduce the liquid by ¼ cup since those proteins will release some moisture when cooked.
How long should I cook this in the instant pot?
I have not tried that with this recipe yet. You might need to reduce the amount of liquid if going that route!
Could you use cauliflower rice instead of brown rice?
I have yet to try that in this recipe! If you do, you’ll probably have to reduce the amount of vegetable stock and cooking time.
Wasn’t a fan. Flavor was weird and the rice was slightly crunchy even though I cooked it 50 minutes(took longer for the water to evaporate) idk if it’s the tomatoes that makes the rice from getting fluffy or what. Next time I’ll just make rice then add tomatoes in hopes rice will be more fluffy.
So sorry it didn’t turn out how you had hoped, Mindy! Did you happen to use brown rice instead of white? That’s the only thing I can think of that may have contributed to the crunchiness and increased cook time.
So far so good. I’ll let you know how I do. Thank you!
Yes please! This is an old recipe and I need to revisit it and take new shots soon!
Love it!
Thank you!!
This recipe was amazing!! My whole family loved it. I made it with white rice as I did not have any brown rice on hand. I just reduced the cooking time! I made the chicken shawarma recipe to go along with it!!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear it. Yum!
Do you cover the rice as it simmers?
Yes, I’ll add that clarification to the instructions. Thank you!
I love how simple this is – making it now ?
Hi Helen – So glad to hear that!! Enjoy it 🙂