I don’t know about y’all, but one of our favorite places to eat is Chipotle. It always tastes fresher than other “fast food” options, and we love their food. My husband orders their bowl, but he only asks for LOTS of rice and steak. He is always raving about how much he loves their rice, so one day I decided to try and recreate it at home. This recipe seems pretty close to what they offer in their restaurant, and it has become one of our “staple” sides for dinner. Plus, it’s almost impossible to screw up, which is always my #1 factor in selecting recipes.

The ingredients you need are:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup white basmati rice (I always use the Mahatma brand pictured below and love it)
• Juice of 1 lime (remember to roll the lime firmly on the counter with your hands to get maximum juice out)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I’ve left this out before if I don’t have any cilantro at home, and the rice still tastes great)

1. In a saucepan, melt the 1 tbs butter over low heat. Make sure to keep the butter moving, so it doesn’t burn.

2. Slice your lime and squeeze as much juice out as possible. Feel free to add additional limes if you enjoy the flavor.

3. Add 2/3 cup of basmati rice, and stir it in the lime juice and butter for 1 minute to ensure all of the grains are coated.

4. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 cup of water. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, turn heat down to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. I’ve found that if I keep my stovetop on the lowest setting, this should take about 25 minutes.5. Once the rice is cooked, add in 2 tsp of fresh chopped cilantro. Again, I have left this step out before, and the rice is still delish. Also, feel free to add more cilantro if you’re a fan.

And you’re done! How simple was that? I know we enjoy beef with this flavor of rice, so I grabbed some marinated steak at our local grocery store, chopped it up, and cooked it on the stovetop over medium-high heat while my rice was simmering.

This is a simple quick (about 30-minute) meal, that is a great standby. We’ve enjoyed this rice with chicken fajitas, baked chicken, tacos, and more! Like I said, it’s one of our favorites! Hope you like it, too!