Spanish Rice Ala Nita

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 slices bacon
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 -2 tablespoon butter
• 1 vidalia onions or 1 sweet onion, peeled,chopped
• 1/2 sweet bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh celery, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes or 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, in juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Recipe

• 1 cook bacon over medium-low heat until it is browned.
• 2 remove bacon to a plate with paper towels on it.
• 3 allow it to drain.
• 4 add beef to pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, breaking up beef well, leaving no lumps.
• 5 cook for about 5 minutes.
• 6 add tomato paste, stirring in well.
• 7 cook until beef is browned, another 3 or 4 minutes, being careful not to burn.
• 8 reserve beef in a bowl.
• 9 add butter to pan, melting it over low heat.
• 10 stir in onions, celery and bell pepper.
• 11 cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or until onions are somewhat translucent.
• 12 add reserved beef.
• 13 add rice, undrained tomatoes, water, dark brown sugar.
• 14 stir well.
• 15 heat to boiling.
• 16 reduce heat to low.
• 17 cover and simmer 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender.
• 18 crumble reserved bacon and stir it in.
• 19 season with salt and pepper.
• 20 adjust seasoning.