*EQUIPMENT NOTES: I used a medium Dutch oven for this recipe, which worked great.
RICE SUBSTITUTIONS: I think you could use medium-grain brown rice here without any changes. If you want to use white rice, reduce the oven temperature to 350, reduce the broth to 2 cups, and reduce the baking time to 30 to 35 minutes.
SHORTCUT: You can replace the blended tomato/onion/garlic mixture with 2 cups mild red salsa (opt for regular salsa, as opposed to thick and chunky). When I use this trick, I reduce the amount of salt added to the pot by half and then add more to taste at the end, since salsas are already pretty salty.
PROTEIN BOOSTER: After the rice is done cooking, you can stir in one or two cans of rinsed and well-drained black beans (or up to 3 cups drained home-cooked black beans).
SLOW COOKER NOTE: I tried making this rice in a slow cooker (about 4 hours on high), and it didn’t turn out nearly as well (really mushy).
FREEZE THE LEFTOVERS: You can freeze the leftovers in a large freezer bag (be sure to let it cool completely before bagging). When you want more, you can breaks off a piece or two, heat it slowly and it’s good to go.