This red enchilada sauce rice is a quick, easy and flavorful side dish to serve with Mexican food or other main dishes.

Enchilada Sauce Rice on Plate

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants serves white rice and black beans with their enchilada combo plates.

And I always order extra red enchilada sauce so that it’ll make its way over to white rice that’s on the plate.

The combination of their delicious white rice and amazing red enchilada sauce tastes so good to me.

So good as a matter of fact, that I just had to come up with a quick and easy enchilada sauce rice side dish.

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice

About this Recipe

This recipe is made with white rice, canned red enchilada sauce, queso fresco cheese, green onions and cilantro.

The white rice is first cooked separately.

Then the warm white rice is added to a mixing bowl along with crumbled queso fresco cheese, chopped green onion and cilantro.

Last but not least, warm red enchilada sauce is added to the mix.

Then the enchilada sauce rice is transferred to a baking dish, covered with foil, and baked just long enough to warm the rice up for serving.

Enchilada sauce rice on fork

About the Queso Fresco Cheese

Queso fresco cheese tends to get soft when it’s heated but doesn’t melt.

So, when this enchilada sauce rice is warmed up in the oven, the crumbled cheese will be soft but not totally melted.

About the Rice

In this recipe I used basmati white rice.

But long grain white rice should work well too.

For best results, use basmati or long grain white rice (jasmine or short grain rice may be too sticky).

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Enchilada sauce rice ingredients

Rice – Basmati or long grain white rice, water and butter

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice – Cooked white rice with butter, salt, queso fresco cheese, green onions (the white part), cilantro and canned or homemade red enchilada sauce

Toppings – Olive oil and green onions (the green part)

Equipment – Small rice cooker, baking dish (1-3/4-quart baking dish) and aluminum foil

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the White Rice

White rice in strainer

Rinse the rice.

TIP – For best results, use basmati or long grain white rice (jasmine or short grain rice may be too sticky).

Add white rice to rice cooker

To the rice cooker add the rinsed rice…

Pour water into rice cooker

…water…

Small cubes of butter on board

…and…

Add small cubes of butter in rice

…small cubes of butter.

Rice cooking inside of rice cooker

Cover with a lid and cook the rice.

WHILE THE RICE IS COOKING:

Prep

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chopped green onions on board

Chop the green onions.

White part of the onions – for the enchilada sauce rice mixture.

Set aside.

Chopped green onion chives on board

Green part of the onions – for the topping.

Set aside.

Chopped cilantro on board

Chop the cilantro (for the enchilada sauce rice mixture).

Set aside.

Warm the Enchilada Sauce

Pour enchilada sauce into pot

In a small to medium size pot, add the enchilada sauce.

Stir enchilada sauce in pot

Turn the heat on low.

Let the enchilada sauce cook just long enough to warm (about 5 minutes).

TIP – Don’t cook the enchilada sauce any longer than needed to get it warm. This should prevent it from reducing.

Set the warm enchilada sauce aside for a moment.

For the Enchilada Sauce Rice

Cooked white rice in rice cooker

Right after the rice is done cooking…

Add white rice into mixing bowl

…transfer it into a large mixing bowl.

Add salt on rice in bowl

Add salt…

The salt sharpens the overall flavor of this dish.

Add queso fresco cheese in mixing bowl

…crumbled queso fresco cheese…

Add chopped green onion in bowl

…chopped green onions…

Add cilantro into bowl

…and chopped cilantro.

Stir onion and cilantro into rice

Gently stir together.

Add enchilada sauce to bowl with rice

Add the warm red enchilada sauce.

Stir enchilada sauce with rice

Gently stir together.

Baking Dish

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice in Dish

Transfer the rice mixture to a baking dish…

Enchilada sauce rice in baking dish

 …and top with grated queso fresco cheese (or very small crumbles).

Warm in the Oven

Foil on top of baking dish

Cover the baking dish with foil.

Bake in a preheated oven (at 375 degrees F.) just long enough for the enchilada sauce rice to warm (about 15 minutes).

TIP – Don’t leave the rice in the oven any longer than it needs to be to get warm. This should prevent it from drying out.

Toppings and Serve

Baked enchilada sauce rice in dish

When the enchilada sauce rice is warm, remove it from the oven.

Carefully remove the foil and drizzle olive oil on top of the rice.

TIP – Drizzling olive oil on top of the warm enchilada sauce rice adds moisture and flavor.

Enchilada Sauce Rice in Dish

Top with chopped green onion (the green part)…

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice

…and…

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice

…serve warm.

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice

Serve with Mexican food…

Enchilada Sauce Rice on Fork

…or as a side dish with chicken, beef or pork.

Enchilada Sauce Rice on Plate

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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Enchilada Sauce Rice on Plate

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice with Cheese

This red enchilada sauce rice is a quick, easy and flavorful side dish to serve with Mexican food or other main dishes.
5 from 1 vote
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Yield: 3 Servings (serves 3 to 4)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Rice:

  • 2 cups uncooked basmati white rice Or long grain white rice. Use a quantity of uncooked rice that will yield 4 cups of cooked rice.
  • Water Use the amount of water according to the package instructions based on the cooking method used.
  • 2 tablespoons butter (salted) Cut into small cubes

Red Enchilada Sauce Rice:

  • Cooked white rice (warm)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

One package (10 ounces) of queso fresco cheese (1/2 of the package for the rice mixture; 1/4 for the top of the rice mixture)

  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese (about 1/2 of a 10-ounce package) for the enchilada rice mixture (in the mixing bowl)
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions (just the white part) this equals about 4 medium to large size green onions (reserve the green part for the topping)
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 can (10 ounces) prepared red enchilada sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated queso fresco (or very small crumbles) (about 1/4 of a 10-ounce package). for the top of the enchilada rice (in the baking dish)

Toppings:

  • Drizzles of olive oil
  • Chopped green onion tops (just the green part from 3 of the green onions)

Equipment

  • 1 Small rice cooker that can make 4 cups of cooked rice
  • 1 Baking dish (1-3/4-quart baking dish)
  • Aluminum foil

Instructions

For the White Rice:

  • Rinse the rice.
    For best results, use basmati or long grain white rice (jasmine or short grain rice may be too sticky).
  • To the rice cooker add the rinsed rice, water and small cubes of butter. Cover with a lid and cook the rice.

While the Rice is Cooking - Prep:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Chop the green onions: White part of the onions - for the enchilada sauce rice mixture. Set aside. Green part of the onions - for the topping. Set aside.
  • Chop the cilantro (for the enchilada sauce rice mixture). Set aside.

Warm the Enchilada Sauce:

  • In a small to medium size pot, add the enchilada sauce. Turn the heat on low. Let the enchilada sauce cook just long enough to warm (about 5 minutes).
    Don't cook the enchilada sauce any longer than needed to get it warm. This should prevent it from reducing.
    Set the warm enchilada sauce aside for a moment.

For the Enchilada Sauce Rice:

  • Right after the rice is done cooking, transfer it into a large mixing bowl. Add salt. The salt sharpens the overall flavor of this dish.
  • To the bowl, add crumbled queso fresco cheese, chopped green onions and chopped cilantro. Gently stir together.
  • To the bowl, add the warm enchilada sauce and gently stir together.

Baking Dish:

  • Transfer the rice mixture to a baking dish and top with grated queso fresco cheese (or very small crumbles).

Warm in the Oven:

  • Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake in a preheated oven (at 375 degrees F.) just long enough for the enchilada sauce rice to warm (about 15 minutes).
    Don't leave the rice in the oven any longer than it needs to be to get warm. This should prevent it from drying out.

Toppings:

  • When the enchilada sauce rice is warm, remove it from the oven. Carefully remove the foil and drizzle olive oil on top of the rice.
    Drizzling olive oil on top of the warm enchilada sauce rice adds moisture and flavor.
  • Top with chopped green onion (the green part).

Serve:

  • Serve warm.

Notes

TIPS:

  1. For best results, use basmati or long grain white rice (jasmine or short grain rice may be too sticky).
  2. Don't cook the enchilada sauce any longer than needed to get it warm.  This should prevent it from reducing.
  3. The salt added to the rice mixture sharpens the overall flavor of this dish.
  4. Don't leave the rice in the oven any longer than it needs to be to get warm.  This should prevent it from drying out.
  5. Drizzling olive oil on top of the warm enchilada sauce rice adds moisture and flavor.
Author: Nancy@CouponClippingCook
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: Enchilada Sauce, Enchilada Sauce Rice, Mexican Food, Mexican Rice, Rice

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