A simple and delicious Instant Pot Southwest rice is a one-pot dish that can be finished and served in five different ways such as cheesy casserole, crispy pan-fried patties, burritos or a salad. Made with sweet corn, black beans and green bell peppers, this Southwestern recipe is inexpensive, vegetarian-friendly and great for making ahead.
1cube chicken stockor skip the cube and use ready-made stock instead of water below
2.5cupswater
1canchopped tinned tomatoes14 - 15 oz.
For Tomato Avocado Salad
2tomatoeslarge, diced (remove the seeds, if you wish)
1large avocadoor 2 small, diced
¼onionred or white, finely diced
⅓cupchopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lime
½teaspoonsalt
For Southwest Rice Patties
3cupscooked Southwest rice
1.5cupsgrated cheese like Cheddar or/and Mozzarellayou can do 50/50
¼cuppickled jalapenoschopped (you can use less or more spice level dependent)
3tablespoonsflour
Olive oil for cooking
For Southwest Rice Casserole
4cupsSouthwest riceor more
⅓cupBBQ saucesmokey or chipotle is best
2-3cupsgrated/shredded cheese
Instructions
Rinse rice under cold water 4-5 times and drain in a sieve.
Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode (Normal) and once hot, add the olive oil, onions and green peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until softened.
Add garlic, black beans, corn, rice, spices, salt and stock cube (crumbled. Add the water and stir through well, make sure to scrape the bottom so that nothing is stuck (to prevent the BURN ERROR).
Spread the canned chopped tomatoes over the top but don't stir through (again, to prevent the burn error).
Secure and lock the lid. Set to Manual/Pressure Cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start building up pressure (should take about 10 minutes), and the cooking will commence. Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then use the quick release to let off the remaining pressure.
Open the lid and stir through the rice.
Southwest rice patties: combine the rice with cheese, pickled jalapenos and flour, mix until well incorporated. Shape small patties using your hands (about 2-3 tablespoons per patty) and pan-fry in a little oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Serve with tomato and avocado salad.
Southwest rice casserole: transfer the pre-cooked rice to a baking dish, drizzle all over with the BBQ sauce and top with the cheese. Bake in the 200 C/ 400F oven for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned slightly around the edges. Serve with tomato avocado salad and sour cream.
Tomato avocado salsa: mix all ingredients in a bowl, this can be done in advance; season and drizzle with lime and olive oil just before serving for freshness. Serve with the rice as is or with any of the dish variations in this post.
Notes
The nutrition information listed is for the Southwest rice recipe only.