Corned Beef and Rice turns two cans of corned beef into a saucy, savory dinner in 25 minutes. The beef simmers with sofrito, oregano and tomato sauce, diced potatoes and a little corn until the potatoes are tender, then gets spooned over fluffy white rice. This Puerto Rican-style pan serves 6 and is made almost entirely from the pantry.
How to make it: Cook the sofrito, spices and tomato sauce in a little oil for a minute, break the corned beef into the pan, then add the water, corn and potatoes. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender, and serve over white rice.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pantry dinner: canned corned beef, tomato sauce, sofrito, potatoes and corn.
- Twenty-five minutes: 5 minutes of prep and 20 in one pan.
- One pan for the beef: the sauce, potatoes and corn all cook together.
- Feeds 6: two cans stretch into a family dinner with rice.
Ingredient Notes
Canned corned beef: Two cans. It is already cooked, so it only needs to heat through in the sauce.
Sofrito: Two tablespoons of the herby Puerto Rican cooking base, store-bought or homemade.
Tomato sauce: One 8-ounce can. It becomes the sauce that goes over the rice.
Seasonings: A teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of black pepper, and a packet of sazon if you have it. Taste before adding any salt at the end.
Potatoes and corn: Two small potatoes, peeled and diced, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of corn kernels.
White rice: Cooked separately, for serving.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sofrito
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 packet sazon, optional
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cans corned beef
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup corn kernels (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
- Salt, to taste
- Cooked white rice, for serving
How to Make Corned Beef and Rice
1. Heat the oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.
2. Start the sauce. Add the sofrito, oregano, pepper, sazon if using, and the tomato sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the corned beef. Add the corned beef and break it down with a spoon. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the water, corn and potatoes. Mix and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Simmer. Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and everything is steaming hot (165°F).
5. Serve. Taste and season with salt if needed. Serve with white rice.
Cooking With Canned Corned Beef
Canned corned beef is fully cooked in the can, which is why this dinner is so quick. You are not cooking the beef, only warming it in the sauce. The potatoes set the timing: once they are fork-tender, dinner is ready.
Opening the can. The can opens with its key. Pierce a small hole in the top first to release the vacuum, and the lid comes off more easily. Lift the beef out with a fork or spoon.
Breaking it up. Press the block apart with a spoon once it is in the sauce. How fine you go is up to you: some like it almost like hash, others leave small chunks.
The rice. Make it while the beef simmers. Bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil, add 2 cups of rice and stir, bring it back to a boil, cover tightly and turn the heat to low for 20 minutes. Don’t lift the lid while it cooks, then fluff the grains with a fork.
Salt last. Taste the pan at the end and add salt only if it needs it.
Tips for Success
How do I keep the potatoes from staying hard?
Dice them into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes and keep the pan covered for the full 15 minutes on medium. Check one with a fork before you serve.
Can I brown the potatoes first?
Yes. Sauté the diced potatoes in the oil until they are lightly golden and starting to soften, then add the corned beef, sofrito and tomato sauce, cover and cook on low about 10 minutes, until tender.
Variations
- Old-fashioned stovetop: cook a thinly sliced onion in oil for 3 to 4 minutes, add minced garlic and chopped fresh tomatoes for 2 minutes, then the corned beef, a cubed potato, salt and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, bring it to a boil, cover and cook on medium for 20 minutes. It cooks down into a sauce for the rice.
- Jamaican bully beef: cook onion and green bell pepper until translucent, add chopped tomato and minced scotch bonnet pepper, then break in the corned beef with black pepper and a tablespoon of ketchup. Cook until the beef is no longer solid, and serve with rice, bread, dumplings or plantains. Cabbage, corn or mixed vegetables can go in too.
- Filipino corned beef fried rice: scramble a beaten egg and set it aside, brown minced garlic in the oil, add 1 cup of corned beef for 2 minutes, then stir-fry 3 cups of leftover white rice for 5 minutes. Break the egg into the rice with a dash of salt, cook 2 minutes more, and top each plate with a sunny-side-up egg.
- With vegetables: stir-fry onion, carrots and peas with cooked, shredded corned beef and rice, and scramble an egg into the pan.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat the corned beef and the rice until steaming hot, 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it over white rice with tostones, sweet fried plantains (maduros) or slices of avocado. For more beef dinners, try cozy beef and rice casserole or Instant Pot beef stew. If you like corned beef, there’s slow cooker corned beef, and for more slow cooker beef, onion beef brisket, beef cubed steaks and beef stew noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make old-fashioned corned beef and rice?
Cook sliced onion in oil, add garlic and chopped tomatoes, then the canned corned beef and a diced potato with salt and pepper. Add water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until it makes a sauce, and serve it over white rice. The old-fashioned stovetop variation above has the times.
What is bully beef?
Bully beef is what canned corned beef is called in Jamaica, where bully beef and rice is an everyday meal. It is cooked with onion, tomato, scotch bonnet pepper and a little ketchup, as in the variation above.
What pairs well with corned beef and rice?
Tostones, maduros and sliced avocado go well with the Puerto Rican version; bread, dumplings or plantains go with the Jamaican one.
Is canned corned beef already cooked?
Yes. It only needs to be heated through, which is why this dish is on the table in 25 minutes. Heat it until it is steaming hot.
Final Notes
Keep a couple of cans in the pantry and this dinner is always 25 minutes away. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Corned Beef and Rice
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sofrito
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 packet sazon optional
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cans corned beef
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup corn kernels 1/4 to 1/2 cup
- 2 small potatoes peeled and diced
- salt to taste
- cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.
- Add the sofrito, oregano, pepper, sazon if using, and the tomato sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the corned beef and break it down with a spoon. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the water, corn and potatoes. Mix and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and everything is steaming hot (165°F).
- Taste and season with salt if needed. Serve with white rice.
