Spanish Tomato Rice

My mom used to make this dish; she got the recipe from The Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook, a copy of which (1965 edition) I obtained when I started cooking for my college roommates.

Do you know I still have that cookbook?

I’ve made some changes to reflect my own personal taste. It calls for chili sauce, but truthfully, I don’t add it in when I’m cooking, as I’m the only one in the house who likes spicy stuff. Instead, I add it into my own serving separately.

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but much of it is from cans. Of course, you can use fresh veggies if you want to. You can either have it as an entrée or as a side. I like to layer the rice on my plate with fried Spam and a slice of American cheese – rice/Spam/rice/cheese/rice. Or, I’ll make meatballs and serve it alongside.

Ingredients

• BACON, 8 rashers
• GROUND BEEF, ½ pound
• ONION, 1 large, diced
• GREEN PEPPER, 1 medium, diced
• TOMATOES, 1 one-pound can
• OLIVES, 1 small can, sliced
• MUSHROOMS, 1 small can, or ¼ pound sliced
• WATER 1½ cups
• RICE, ¾ cup
• CHILI SAUCE, ½ cup
• SALT, 1 teaspoon
• PEPPER, freshly ground, couple of grinds
• BROWN SUGAR, 1 teaspoon
• WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, ½ teaspoon

Directions

1. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside.
2. Pour off half the fat from the pan, and in the remaining fat, cook the onions and green pepper, and set aside.
3. If using fresh mushrooms, sauté and set aside.
4. Brown the ground beef, then add in the onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
5. Add in the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes (until the rice is cooked).
6. When the rice is tender, crumble the bacon over it and serve.