Mexican Salsa Street Corn Rice
A quick, cozy skillet recipe made with leftover rice and a jar of salsa.If you’ve got cooked rice in the fridge and a jar of salsa in the pantry, you’re already halfway to the easiest, coziest, most flavor‑packed skillet meal. This Mexican‑inspired Salsa Street Corn Rice is everything I love in a weeknight recipe: fast, flexible, and full of warm, comforting flavors
Ingredients
- -3 cups cooked rice cold works best
- - 1 cup jarred red salsa
- - 1 cup corn fresh, frozen, or canned
- - 1 tbsp butter or oil
- - 1 garlic clove minced
- - ½ tsp cumin
- - ½ tsp chili powder
- - ¼ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- - ¼ cup cotija or feta
- - Juice of ½ lime
- - Optional toppings: cilantro Tajín, jalapeños, green onions, avocado
Instructions
- Build the flavor base
- Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the salsa and corn
- Stir in the corn and cook for 2–3 minutes. Pour in the salsa and let it bubble and reduce slightly to deepen the flavor.
- Fold in the cooked rice
- Add the rice, breaking up any clumps. Toss until everything is coated and warmed through. Let it sit for a minute to develop little toasty bits.
- Make it creamy and bright
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the crema and lime juice. Taste and adjust salt.
- Add your toppings
- Finish with cotija, cilantro, Tajín, jalapeños, or avocado.