Cheesy Mexican Rice

2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped red, orange or green bell pepper
2 C rice (I used long grain jasmine rice)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 t cumin
salt and pepper
1 T butter
1 C shredded mexican blend cheese

1. Heat a large, deep skillet up over medium high heat. Toss 2 tablespoons of butter into the not pan and let it melt.
2. Add 3 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/4 cup chopped red pepper. Allow the vegetables to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.
3. Add 2 cups of rice. Give it a nice stir to combine and then and allow the rice to cook a bit. You want some of it to turn a beautiful golden brown color. We are just looking for some of the grains of rice to turn golden brown.

4. Add 1 can of tomato sauce and 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
5. Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and stir everything together.
6. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the rice has soaked up the liquid and is no longer crunchy.
7. Sprinkle the rice with a bit of salt and pepper and toss another tablespoon of butter in. Stir it all together to combine.
8. Turn off the heat and sprinkle 1 cup of mexican blend cheese over the top of the rice. 
Cover the pan and let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

* I loved this rice and thought that it was a perfect side dish to any mexican meal. And was really easy to make. I got this recipe from one of my new favorite food blogs jamiecooksitup