This quick one-pot Spanish rice with chorizo and tomatoes is full of bold flavours. Perfect for an easy weekday dinner at home and even better as camping food.
What is Spanish chorizo?
Spanish chorizo is a sausage made from coarsely chopped pork meat and pork fat then flavoured with garlic and smoked paprika. Pimentón (or smoked paprika) is the spice that gives the chorizo its bright red colour. Most people will know the cured and dried chorizo which can be eaten as an appetizer, tapas or as cold meat on a sandwich. The softer and shorter chorizo sausages are used for cooking. These are the chorizo sausages which are used to make the traditional Spanish tapas dishes like chorizo bites with red wine or chorizo a la sidra.
Spain has various types and brands of chorizo all in different sizes and various curing times. Also when buying chorizo, keep in mind that some are mild in flavour while others are spicy. For this recipe, I use the mild flavoured soft chorizo which is perfect for making this one pot chorizo dish.
Ingredients for one pot rice with chorizo
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chorizo: Use Spanish soft chorizo or semi-cured to bring out the best flavour. If you cannot find this type of chorizo, you can replace it with the fully dried and cured variety. The flavour will be stronger, so consider adding less sausage than foreseen in the recipe. With the soft chorizo, no need to peel off the skin as it should become soft after cooking and is edible.
- Rice: I have used long grain white rice for this dish. It makes the one-pot dish nice and fluffy. Feel free to use any other type of rice you like, just read the instructions on the packet for the correct cooking time and adjust the recipe accordingly.
- Tomatoes – Onion – Garlic: These are the key ingredients to make Spanish rice. Finely dice the onions and tomatoes and mince the garlic. I use the tomatoes with their peels.
- Smoked paprika: Smoked paprika or pimentón is the main spice in many Spanish dishes. It’s also a key ingredient in Spanish chorizo and provides the orange / red colour of the sausage. I like to add some more to the dish to get the best smoky flavour. Pimentón comes in mild and spicy so it is up to you which one you prefer. I have used the mild paprika in this recipe.
- Curry powder: Adding curry powder is optional. I love the subtle flavour combination of curry powder and it balances the mild pimintón to give this rice and chorizo dish some extra punch.
- Spring onions: Sprinkle with chopped spring onion just before serving to provide an extra pungent flavour.
How to make Spanish rice with chorizo?
Cut the chorizo in slices of 1 cm (or 1/2 inch). No need to remove the peel when using the soft chorizo. If you use the dried and cured one, I would remove the skin first and cut in to slices. Dice the onion and the tomatoes. Again, I don’t remove the peels of the tomatoes, but feel free to first remove them if you prefer. Mince the garlic.
Take a high sided skillet or cooking pot and heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and fry on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the chorizo slices in to the same skillet and fry with the onions and garlic for another 2 minutes stirring regularly. Add the chopped tomatoes, all the spices and the rice and fry for one minute until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Add the water and bring to boil. Cook the rice for 10 – 15 minutes, on very low heat and covered. Use the cooking time according to the instructions on the packet. When the rice is cooked, take the skillet off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. This step is very important to allow all the flavours to further develop in the dish and the moisture to redistribute in order to achieve a nice texture of the rice.
Frequently asked questions
How to store rice with chorizo
This rice with chorizo dish can be stored in the refrigerator for maximum 1 day. After cooking, put the rice in a container with a closed lid and cool as soon as possible.
What to serve with Spanish rice and chorizo sausage
This one pot dish is meant as a stand alone bowl. If you want to add a side dish, you can consider a bean salad or a fresh tomato salad with some spring onions.
Can I use normal paprika powder instead of pimentón?
If you have no pimentón or smoked paprika available, of course you can use paprika powder. However, I would balance it with a small pinch of cayenne pepper. Smoked paprika has a very distinctive flavour which give this dish its signature smokiness.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
One pot Spanish rice with chorizo
Ingredients
- 400 g chorizo sliced in 1 cm (or ½ inch)
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 200 g rice
- 400 ml water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pimentón or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- Spring onions roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cut the chorizo sausage in slices of 1 cm (or ½ inch). Mince the garlic and dice the onion and tomatoes.
- In a high-sided skillet or pan heat up the olive oil and fry the garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add the sliced chorizo to the onions in the pan and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the spices, tomatoes and rice and fry for 1 minute while slowly stirring. Add the water and cover with a lid.
- Boil according to the cooking time of the rice on the packet. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions on top before serving.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made with a dried and cured chorizo sausage. Since they are stronger in flavour, you could halve the amount of chorizo in this recipe.
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Wow, this looks tasty and easy to make! Saving it to try next week. Thanks!
Looks yummy. I love Spanish rice, but have never made it. Hungarians have a similar rice recipe called Lecso. I make that frequently. Would love to try your recipe. Thanks
This reminds me of my trip to Spain! God, I miss traveling! Might have to make this for dinner tonight so I can remember what it’s like to experience another culture’s cuisine once again…sigh*
Love the aromatics and spices going on in this dish + the chorizo!!! Can’t wait to try it!
I love chorizo and the ease of one pot dinners, will definitely be trying this!
I love this dish. I am a fan of chorizo and this is a great meal for me.
This Spanish rice looks so delicious, and with chorizo it’s a great one pot dinner!