Oh boy…… Puerto Rican bacon rice is arguably The Most Amazingly flavored rice you will ever make. My family begs me to make this.
Definitely not the most health-conscious recipe but there are always ways around that if that’s your thing. Personally, I don’t mind. All things in moderation, right? The only problem with that is….. This stuff is too good! No moderation at the dinner table, it all gets eaten. Sometimes I will even double the recipe to make sure there are leftovers.
You’ll need:
½ lb bacon
1 ½ cup med grain rice
1 can French onion soup (condensed)
1 can beef consume (condensed)
Start by cooking the bacon crisp in a large skillet. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel to cool.
Leave the bacon drippings in the pan and add rice.
Stir to coat all the rice in the yummy goodness left by the bacon. Add both cans of soup.
Stir until combined then turn the heat down to low and put a lid on it. Let simmer till all liquid is absorbed. About 15-20 minutes. Use a wooden spoon and stir. Be sure to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Crumble the cooled bacon and add back to skillet. Serve.
Variations:
There are many ways to adapt this recipe. Although, in my humble opinion, the more bacon the better.
You can drain some of the bacon drippings from the pan if it’s hard for you to keep it.
Long grain rice can be substituted for the medium grain rice, just keep an eye on it while it’s cooking.
Add a few stalks of very thinly sliced scallions
To make traditional Puerto Rican Rice Recipe Arroz con Gandules, add 1 can of drained Gandules (Pigeon Peas)
Just remember it’s a 2 to 1 ratio liquid to rice- 3 cups of liquid to the 1 ½ of the rice. Each can of soup is 1½ cups. Beef broth can be substituted in a pinch, or if you happen to purchase the wrong one. Not that that ever happens…..
This is a boldly flavored rice dish, that pairs well especially with grilled meats. Its flavor goes well with pork, beef, or even chicken. I’m sure it will soon become a regular on your dinner menu. Just be prepared to hand over the recipe if you take it to a potluck.
sounds good. my parents are from puerto rico and i don’t remember having this growing up. definitely going to make this.
i will add gandules. i do like arroz con gandules . this seems so much more simple than the way they fix it.