Quick and Easy Southern Style Tomato Rice Pilaf

My quick and easy Southern-style tomato rice pilaf may be the easiest side dish ever and is a great way to take regular white rice to the next level. It's a super simple recipe inspired by traditional red Savannah rice that requires just a few pantry staples and other ingredients you likely have on hand. Make it for Meatless Monday or as an easy side dish for a weeknight meal.

White plate on a wooden tray with tomatoes and rice, greens, and black-eyed peas.

This is a dish we eat every New Years' Day (along with black-eyed peas and greens) for good luck. However, my tomato rice recipe is also my go-to to serve with dishes like my Grilled Pork Chops with Rosemary Dijon Marinade on a busy weeknight. If you have more time and want an authentic version of red rice, my friend Kardea Brown has an awesome recipe for Gullah Red Rice.

Need some more delicious side dish recipe ideas? Check out my recipe for Bacon Succotash. I've also got lots of flavorful side dish recipes like Creamed Spinach and Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette over at Yummly.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty tip
Frequently asked questions
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Recipe Guidelines and Test Kitchen Tips
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Ingredients

I love this easy tomato rice recipe because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Here's what you need:

canned diced tomatoes
yellow onion
Carolina Gold rice (I like Marsh Hen Mill)
garlic cloves
olive oil
water
fresh thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Let's get cooking! Here's how to make this tomato rice pilaf step by step:

First, rinse the rice!

Next, sauté the onion in hot oil in a medium saucepan until tender. Add the rice and garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Stirring in the tomatoes, water, thyme, salt, and pepper into the rice.

Then, add the tomatoes, water, thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer.

Finally, uncover the rice and fluff with a fork.

Hint: Rinsing the rice before cooking is super important. It removes the starch from the grains and prevents mushiness. Rinse the rice until the water is clear.

Substitutions

Here are some substitutions if you don't have some of these ingredients in your pantry or fridge:

Onion - Feel free to use whatever onion you have on hand. A sweet onion, red onion, or white onion will work fine too.
Herbs - Don't have fresh thyme on hand? You can use ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Or, use a sprig of rosemary or oregano if you prefer.
Rice - I love the nutty flavor the Carolina Gold rice gives to this rice pilaf, so it's my favorite kind of rice to use. But, feel free to use your favorite rice for this dish. Long grain rice, basmati rice, and jasmine rice will all work. I don't recommend using brown rice because it will require much more liquid and cooking time.

Variations

Check out these easy variations to make this recipe your own:

Spicy - If you're a fan of spicy food, use a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies instead of canned diced tomatoes to make this spicy Savannah rice. Or, stir in a little crushed red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
Sausage - Add some diced smoked sausage when cooking the onion to make this rice pilaf recipe a little meaty.

Equipment

For this recipe, you will need a medium saucepan with lid and a strainer for rinsing the rice. You'll also need dry measuring cups, a liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoons.

Storage

If you have any leftover rice, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I don't recommend freezing leftovers.

Tasty tip

It may seem odd to toast the rice with the oil, onion, and garlic, but I find that it helps keep the grains separated. It also adds a nice nutty flavor.

Frequently asked questions

What is the history of Gullah red rice?

Enslaved Africans were brought to the Lowcountry to grow rice. Gullah red rice is a treasured dish in the Gullah culture and is made using ingredients that were readily available in the region.

What's the difference between red rice and tomato rice pilaf?

Red rice has tomato paste as the tomato element instead of canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. Many versions also include bacon grease or smoked sausage drippings as the fat for sauteing the diced onion (as well as diced green pepper that's added to the veggie mix). Tomato rice pilaf is a simple combination of onion, tomatoes, rice, and water.

Do you season the rice before or after cooking?

I recommend cooking the rice in a seasoned liquid. The rice will soak up the flavor as it cooks. Here, I use a little water seasoned with salt and pepper. You can always add more salt to taste at the end, but you need to add salt and flavorings as the rice cooks too.

What happens to rice if you don't rinse it?

This is a great question! If you don't rinse the rice, the extra starch from the grains will cause them to stick together. Instead of nice fluffy rice, you'll get super sticky rice.

Do you stir rice while cooking?

No! For the best result, wait until the liquid is absorbed before fluffing the rice with a fork. If you stir the rice while it cooks, it'll release the starch and cause the rice to be a sticky, gluey mess.

What makes this Southern-style rice?

Carolina Gold rice is what makes this recipe Southern-style. Carolina Gold rice is a variety of African rice that was brought to the Lowcountry by enslaved people and was grown there. It's a different variety of rice than the commercially harvested long-grain rice you most commonly see in stores, and gives this rice pilaf an amazing nutty flavor.

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