Mexican Rice Recipe (with Sheet Pan Vegetables)

This healthy Mexican rice bowl is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for weeknights when you want something nourishing but low-effort. The brown rice cooks up tender and slightly creamy, while the roasted vegetables add nutrients, color, texture, and smoky depth-all on one simple sheet pan. Video!

Forget your voice, sing!  Forget your feet, dance!  Forget your life, live!  Forget yourself and be! ~ Kaman Kojouri

This Mexican Rice Recipe with Sheet Pan Veggies is homey, hearty, and deeply satisfying. The short-grain brown rice cooks up plump, savory, and slightly creamy, with a rich, nutty flavor-delicious enough to stand on its own.

We take it a step further by topping it with roasted yams, red onion, and shishito peppers, all cooked together on one simple sheet pan. While brown rice takes a little time to cook, it's mostly hands-off once it gets going.

Keep it simple with sour cream (vegan or regular) and a spoonful of pickled jalapeños-or pile on your favorite toppings. You'll find plenty of tasty ideas linked at the bottom of the post.

Why you’ll love this Mexican Rice recipe!

• It’s a hearty and satisfying plant-based meal.
• Made with wholesome brown rice- though brown rice takes longer, it is mostly hands-off cooking!
• Great for meal prep!
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Mexican Rice Recipe Ingredients

• Oil - Used to sauté the aromatics and lightly toast the rice, helping develop deeper flavor and a fluffy texture.
• Onion - Adds savory depth and natural sweetness, forming the flavorful base of the rice.
• Garlic - Brings warm, aromatic flavor that complements the spices and tomato paste.
• Short grain brown rice - The hearty foundation of the dish, offering a slightly nutty flavor and satisfying texture while soaking up the seasoned broth.
• Cumin - Adds earthy warmth and classic Mexican flavor to the rice.
• Tomato paste - Provides rich tomato flavor and color, giving the rice its signature savory depth.
• Dried oregano - Adds a subtle herbal note that rounds out the seasoning.
• Sea salt - Enhances all the flavors and balances the dish.
• Chicken or vegetable stock - Infuses the rice with savory flavor as it cooks, creating a more robust and satisfying result than water alone.

Roasted Vegetables Ingredients

• Yams - Bring natural sweetness and a tender, caramelized texture when roasted, adding heartiness and color to the dish.
• Padrones or shishito peppers - Add mild heat and a slightly smoky flavor. Poblanos or bell peppers can be used for a similar effect.
• Red onion - Roasts into sweet, slightly crisp-edged slices that add depth and balance to the vegetables.
• Chili powder, cumin, and ancho chili powder (optional) - Create warm, smoky flavor and a gentle kick of heat. The ancho chili powder adds extra depth but can be omitted if preferred.
• Maple syrup - Helps the vegetables caramelize and enhances their natural sweetness.
• Avocado oil or olive oil - Coats the vegetables for even roasting and adds richness.
• Optional Garnishes: Squeeze of lime, toasted pumpkin seeds,  sour cream (or vegan sour cream), pickled onions or pickled jalapeños. 

Easy Protein Ad-ins

• Black beans
• Pinto beans
•  Tofu Sofritas
• Grilled Chipotle Chicken
• Mexican Shrimp

How to make Mexican Rice

1. Sauté. In a braiser or Dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Sauté the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes, coating it with the oil.  This will bring out its nutty flavor. Stir in the cumin, oregano, salt and tomato paste until fully distributed.

3. Simmer. Add the stock, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently at medium-low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed, roughly 1 hour.

 4. While the rice is simmering, prep and roast the veggies. In a bowl, toss sliced yams with oil, maple syrup, cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and salt.

Lay them out on a parchment-lined sheet pan along with the onions.

Scrape out the remaining spice paste from the bowl and spread it over the onion slices in the pan.  Add a little oil in the bowl first, if needed, to get them all lightly coated.

5. Roast the Veggies. Roast the yams and onions in the oven for 20 minutes.  Add peppers and broil for 3-5 minutes towards the end.

6. Serve.  Assemble bowls with Mexican rice, yams, onions, and peppers.  Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and sour cream (vegan or regular).

StoRage

This recipe keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days, making it great for meal prep. Store the rice and roasted vegetables separately and reheat before serving.

Serve Mexican Rice with these recipes

• Pickled Jalapeños or pickled onions
• Guacamole
• Fermented Hot Sauce
• Pico de Gallo 
• Mexican Street Corn
• Creamy Avocado Salsa
• Avocado Salad with Oranges, Cilantro and Lime
• Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime

On the home front: My family left this week on a school backpacking trip.  Husband, daughter and son…everyone is out of the house.  Just me and the dog.  For the first time in 16 years, I am home alone.  It has indeed been blissful, though I am realizing on a deeper level that having a family is what makes this solitude special.  As I relish in the expansive time and space, I feel a deeper appreciation for the balance in my life.  Sometimes I can get so focused on what I don’t have, like freedom of time and space, I forget to recognize what I have.  Of course, it is easy to contemplate this now in my quiet clean house.  It is my intention to hang on to this awareness as my trail-weary people return.  To flow and open more, resisting less with this current chapter of my life, just allowing it to be what it is, chaotic, messy, profound, and deeply rich with joy and love just waiting to be received.

Wishing for you much joy, love, and nourishing food. ~Tonia

Mexican Rice | Video

Mexican Rice Recipe with Roasted Veggies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Tonia | Feasting at Home
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 1x
• Category: Dinner, Main, vegan, vegetarain Main, vegetarian
• Method: Stove top
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This healthy Mexican rice bowl is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for weeknights when you want something nourishing but low-effort. The brown rice cooks up tender and slightly creamy, while the roasted vegetables add nutrients, color, texture, and smoky depth—all on one simple sheet pan. Video.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

Mexican Rice 

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, adjust to taste
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or veggie stock

Roasted Veggies

• 1 lb yams, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 8 shishito peppers (sub padrone peppers, 2 poblanos or 2 bell peppers)
• 1 red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rings
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder (optional)
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish- lime wedges, toasted pumpkin seeds, sour cream ( or vegan sour cream)  and pickled jalapeños

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 Fdegrees.

Mexican Rice Recipe

1. Saute. In a braiser or Dutch oven, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add rice and stir 2-3 minutes. This will add a nice nutty flavor.
2. Season. Add cumin, tomato paste, dried oregano and salt.  Stir until the paste is fully distributed.
3. Simmer. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, cover, and lower to a gentle simmer (medium low heat) until the liquid is fully absorbed, roughly 1 hour.  Stir and test the rice for doneness.  It may need another 10 -20 minutes, depending on the rice.  Turn off the heat, leave covered until ready to serve.

Roasted Veggies ( while rice is simmering) 

1. In a bowl, toss sliced yams with oil, maple syrup, cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and salt.  Place in one layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Place the onions on the sheet pan and brush the remaining marinade over them to coat.  Add the shishitos to the same bowl, toss with salt and oil if necessary (wait to roast).
2. Bake. Place sweet potatoes and onions on the middle rack of the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Add the shishito peppers to the sheet pan after the 20 minutes.  Put back in the oven on broil 3-5 minutes on the middle rack. (Be careful if using parchment- it can catch on fire under the broiler.)

Serve. 

1. Place a scoop of rice in each dish.
2. Arrange yams, onions and shishito peppers on top.
3. Garnish with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, and pumpkin seeds.

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Notes

Instant Pot Mexican Rice: Set Instant Pot to sauté function and follow steps 1 and 2, above. Add stock and seal the lid, close the pressure valve. Set the pressure cooker on high setting for 40 minutes. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes.

Shishito Peppers are becoming more popular.  If not available for you, substitute strips of poblano or bell pepper.

Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup Mexican rice with 1 cup roasted veggies
• Calories: 445
• Sugar: 8.3 g
• Sodium: 883.8 mg
• Fat: 11.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 81.3 g
• Fiber: 8.5 g
• Protein: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg