Chimichurri Rice (Trader Joe's Copycat Recipe)

close up bowl of herb and tomato chimichurri rice

Chimichurri Rice (Trader Joe's Copycat Recipe)

Zesty, flavorful Peruvian chimichurri rice that tastes similar to the Trader Joe's version, but better! It's made with fresh herbs, red wine vinegar, spices, diced tomatoes, garlic, and onions. To save time, you make the chimichurri while the rice cooks and then stir it in for a pop of freshness. It's an excellent, flavorful side dish to serve at any meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Argentinian

Diet Gluten Free, Halal, Hindu, Kosher, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Resting Time 5

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 307kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Equipment

1 Cutting board
1 Chef knife
1 Measuring cups and spoons set
1 Medium Sauce Pan with Lid
1 Food processor or blender or just use a knife and cutting board
1 spatula or spoon for stirring rice

Ingredients

Rice

1 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 large onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons minced garlic 3-4 medium cloves
1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounce can, drained and excess liquid discarded
2 cups vegetable stock can substitute chicken broth or stock

Chimichurri (see notes for substituting pre-made chimichurri)

2 cups loosely packed cilantro and parsley* measures about 1 cup after chopping
2 teaspoons minced garlic 3-4 medium cloves
1/4 of a red bell pepper roughly a 2 inch thick slice, 1/4 cup finely chopped
2 Tablespoons minced shallot about 1/2 of a medium shallot
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt I use Himalayan, adjust salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional if you want it spicy
¼ cup olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start heating a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon avocado oil and once oil is hot, add chopped onion. Sauté onion for 4-5 minutes until starting to sear, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer.
While onion cooks, rinse 1 ½ cups rice with cool water in a mesh strainer for several minutes until the water runs clear.
Add rice, paprika, cumin, chili powder salt to the pot and stir for 2 minutes until aromatic and rice is toasty.
Add can of tomatoes (liquid drained and discarded) to rice mixture and stir to mix in.
Pour in 2 cups vegetable stock, and raise heat to high.
When pot boils, reduce heat to low, cover and let rice cook for 15 minutes. When timer goes off, turn off heat but leave the lid on for 5 more minutes for the rice to continue steaming.
While the rice cooks, add all chimichurri ingredients, except olive oil to a small food processor and pulse to chop. Remove the food processor blade and drizzle in olive oil, stirring to mix in.
Alternatively, instead of using a food processor you can chop everything by hand and add to a bowl, drizzling in the olive oil. Set chimichurri sauce aside. Note: It will be thicker than regular chimichurri since we’re using less oil in this recipe.
Remove lid and pour chimichurri sauce over the cooked rice, tossing to coat evenly. Serve while warm.

Notes

Storing Leftovers: Place leftover rice in an airtight container, refrigerate and eat within 3 days. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months for longer storage.

Using Pre-made Chimichurri: Substitute 1/2 - 3/4 cup prepared chimichurri sauce to taste. Use a slotted spoon to help use more herbs than oil. Exact amount will depend on your preference and how much liquid vs. herb mix there is in the chimichurri you use.

Want more chimichurri: After making rice, use food processor to make a full batch of chimichurri to serve with the meal.

Using pre-cooked rice: Follow steps 1-4, aside from rinsing uncooked rice. After the onion and garlic have been sautéed with the spices, add the drained canned tomatoes and cook down for about 5 minutes until most of the water has evaporated off. Add the cooked rice and chimichurri and stir to mix it all together and season as desired.

Don't have a food processor: Instead of using a food processor you can chop everything by hand and add to a bowl, drizzling in the olive oil.

Using Instant Pot: For an Instant Pot, follow the recipe as written, using the sauté feature to cook the onion and spices. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, allowing the rice to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure and removing the lid.

Using a Rice Cooker? Sauté the onion and spices separately before adding to the cooker with the rest of the ingredients. Follow the instructions on the cooker to cook the rice.

Nutrition