Have you ever bought fresh salsa and then been disappointed by its watery wimpiness? Have no fear… it’s perfect to make salsa rice.
If you’ve read my book The Migraine Relief Plan, you know that I hate wasting food. If you’ve ever bought a disappointing tub of fresh salsa, or you have a small amount of salsa lying around, this is a wonderful way to use it up. It flavors rice perfectly and the hands-on time is 5 minutes!
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets
Could this be migraine-friendly?
This recipe is tricky, as it’s from my days before I was diagnosed. Here’s why this recipe isn’t migraine-friendly:
- Onions (in salsa)
If you have learned that onions aren’t a migraine trigger, or you have onion-free salsa, enjoy!

Salsa Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice (225 g)
- 1 cup salsa watery, disappointing, yet fresh
- 1 cup water (filtered or spring) or enough to fill the cup
Instructions
- Put the rice into a saucepan that has a lid, rinse well, and drain the water out.
- Drain the salsa into a measuring cup, pressing down with a fork or spoon to get most of the liquid out. Add enough filtered water to equal two cups and add to the rice, along with the salsa solids. Stir to combine.
- Put on the lid. Bring to a boil (about five minutes on the stove on medium-high heat), and then turn it down until it is simmering with a few bubbles. Do not stir. Put the lid back on and set the timer for 40 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let sit at least five minutes, leaving the lid on. Now take the lid off and fluff with a fork.
- Congratulate yourself on what a delicious dish you just made.
Notes
- 150 calories
- 1 g fat
- 0 g saturated fat
- 0 g monounsaturated fat
- 0 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 262 mg sodium (use low-sodium salsa to reduce sodium)
- 212 mg potassium
- 32 g carbohydrate
- 2 g fiber
- 2 g sugars
- 4 g protein
- 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Thanks for the idea and recipe. I have salsa and rice. I have a new side for dinner tomorrow!
Doris, you are welcome. Enjoy and happy Cinco de Mayo!
Looks and sounds delicious! I’m putting it on the menu for dinner one night in the next week! Thanks
Thanks Fran! It’s super-easy and surprisingly tasty.