Name: Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1½ cups long grain white rice, rinsed; 1½ cups chicken broth; ½ cup tomato sauce; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ cup frozen peas; salt to taste

The side that goes with everything

This is the rice I make when dinner needs something beside it and nobody wants plain white rice again. Tomato, cumin, and smoked paprika do the work. It lands next to tacos, grilled chicken, beans, whatever is already on the table.

Toasting the rice in the oil for a minute first is worth it. The grains stay separate and pick up the spices before the liquid goes in. Skip it and the rice still cooks, it just eats softer and plainer.

Let it sit, then fluff

The 10 minutes after the timer matters as much as the 4 minutes under pressure. The pressure drops on its own while the rice finishes in the steam. That is a natural release, and rice is one of the foods that really wants it.

After that, a fork is the only tool you need. Fluff, fold the peas through, and give it 2 minutes to settle. A spoon packs the grains down. A fork keeps them light.

Instant Pot Spanish Rice

The side that goes with everything

Let it sit, then fluff