Pineapple Cilantro Lime Rice: Ordinary rice is transformed into a side dish worthy of any fiesta with the addition of pineapple, cilantro, lime, and jalapeno.
Sometimes I get bored with having chips and salsa with my Mexican entrees.
Okay, that was totally a LIE!! I don’t think I could ever get sick of chips and salsa or chips and guacamole.
BUT, there is time when a healthier side dish to my Mexican cuisine is in order, especially since I eat Mexican several times a week. That is where I typically look to rice.
And plain rice makes a nice bed for my Chicken Chili or leftover Pork Carnitas. But when you infuse rice with some flavor, it becomes worthy of a dish that can be eaten all on its own.
Of course you can still use this rice as a bed to serve meat or beans on top of–and then it is really a little flavor party!
You have to be living under a rock to not know of Chipotle’s famous cilantro rice. There are probably thousands of copycat recipes out there.
So what makes this one special? Well, it has more flavor! TONS more flavor!!
I don’t just stop with the addition of cilantro, but I add jalapeno for kick, lime zest for a bright zip, and pineapple for a sweet contrast that pairs perfectly with any Mexican dish, like Steak or Chicken Fajitas.
Trust me, this is good. So good, you may skip the main course. Or at least be excited about the side dish, not just the main course.
Looking for another great side dish to your Mexican Dishes? Try this Chipotle Macaroni Salad from Vegetarian Mama–it kicks a punch of crazy good flavor!
Pineapple Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 jalapeno cut in half and seeded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 1 bunch of cilantro stems discarded and leaves chopped
Instructions
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Bring pineapple juice, water, jalapeno, garlic and salt to a boil. Add in rice and lower to simmer. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes, or until rice is tender and absorbed.
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Remove jalapeno.
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Stir in zest and juice of lime and chopped cilantro.
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Serve on the side or as the bed to a main course.
*Money Saving Tip: I drain the juice of a 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks to use for this recipe and then reserve the pineapple for a later meal/snack or a Pina Colada Smoothie.
Perfect Dishes to Serve with Cilantro Rice:
Easy Asian Fish Tacos with Ginger Slaw
Lentil Tacos
Pork Carnitas with Mexican Slaw
This looks fantastic! I love the cilantro lime combination to begin with, but adding pineapple to it also sounds better.
Makes it so much better Marye 🙂
Pinocchio, your nose is getting longer. Ha ha. you had me going there for a second. I absolutely love chips and salsa too. Bring on the fiesta Kristen! Love this yummy Mexican side.
LOL! Yes Allie, I can NEVER give up my chips and salsa!
What a great idea to add pineapple to the cilantro lime combo!
Thanks Jessica! It adds so much flavor!!
I LOVE cilantro and lime together! I would eat this with everything!
Right there Lauren. This adds flavor to anything it accompanies!
Aha! Pineapple JUICE!! So smart. And I love that it’s brown rice. This is a winner for me as I never get sick of any kind of Mexican food but always want to try new too. Thanks for sharing this at #SaucySaturdays.
You bet Christine! The pineapple juice adds so so much flavor!
Rice, elevated! Awesome!!!
Thanks Jennifer!
This sounds like a great combination for a rice dish.I like to try different rice recipes.So,this is a great new recipe for me.Thanks for sharing.
I hope you love it Amila–it is so flavorful!
I love this! I really am digging the pineapple addition! This will be made very soon I’m sure! I would love for you to link up at tonight’s Throw Back Thursday party!
Thanks Alli, I will stop over to the party now 🙂
YUM! This looks absolutely fantastic! Pinned.