Portuguese Tomato RIce in the Instant Pot or Arroz de Tomate de Pot Instantânea?

the arroz de tomate of my dreams

A few years ago we spent a couple of weeks in Northern Portugal and there were a few dishes that we ate constantly. We ate the garlicky clams with butter, vihno verde and cilantro every single day, the kid ate grilled sardines at least three times a day and at every meal, there was a bowl of tomato rice. Sometimes it was really soupy, like that one down there from Ponto Final  (I wrote about it here ). It came in an earthenware cauldron and it continued to bubble and roil for most of the meal. That one was soupy and full of sausage but other times we were served a thicker version, usually with nothing else added in. I had forgotten about tomato rice until I attended a supper club that featured a multi course Portugese feast, prepared by my friend Paula Costa, of the blog, My Portuguese Kitchen  . Her rice was thick and creamy and full of seafood and since that night, I keep thinking about making it but it's been hot, I have been cranky and was just being lazy. 

Now that the tomatoes are in their prime and my kitchen is overflowing with them, and I kept thinking that I wanted to make a tomato based risotto and then I remembered tomato rice. Why not use my risotto method but leave out the cheese and see what happens?

the rice was part of this amazing meal and it has stayed with me for the last two years

I searched the internet, reading as many recipes for tomato rice (most were basically the same) as I could and realized that it was much more simple than I thought and using my Instant Pot meant made it just that much easier. Although I added some shrimp, it would be just as delicious without any additions so feel free to skip that part. When we ate it straight out of the pot, it was was very creamy and the next day, it had thickened up quite a bit (I photographed it the next day) and, to be honest, I like it both ways but you can add a bit more chicken stock when you reheat it if you prefer it a bit looser)

This is, for me, an ultimate bit of comfort food. There is something about it that reminds me of my mom's tomato soup and that makes me very happy. With the Instant Pot, I just used the risotto method so it takes no real effort at all. I made use of the last of my tomato passata but you can use any bottled passata or you can puree canned tomatoes but use San Marzanos if you can since the tomato is the star of the show. 

*edited to add this: My passata is quite thin and pourable. If your passata is very thick and cannot easily pour out into a measuring cup, adjust the tomato to stock ratios as indicated in the recipe

Pressure Cooker Tomato Rice 

Arroz de Tomate

adapted from My Portuguese Kitchen

2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
*2 3/4 cups passata or thin tomato puree
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp paprika
kosher salt and black pepper
heaping cup of diced, fresh tomato
3 or 4 tbls butter
handful of freshly chopped parsely

*if the passata is very thick use 2 1/4 cup passata and 1 1/4 cups of stock


optional 2 dozen raw shrimp, shelled and deveined


Hit the saute button on your electric pressure cooker and when it's hot, add in the oil and the onions and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, until the onions are nice and soft. Add in the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly so the tomato paste doesn't burn. Now throw in the garlic and bay leaves, stir another minute before adding in the rice. Pour in the stock, the tomatoes, paprika and good pinch of kosher salt (start with 1 tsp and taste) and a few grinds of black pepper. Lastly, stir in the chopped tomatoes, close up the lid, seal the vent and program your machine to cook for 6  minutes at high pressure.

When the time is up, quick release the pressure, open the lid and give the rice a good stir. It will be quite soupy. If you are adding shrimp, add them now, stir them into the rice and add the lid back on and let the rice sit for 3 or 4 minutes to cook them. If you are NOT adding shrimp, you can leave the lid off but continue to stir the rice occasionally for another minute or so to thicken the rice up a bit.
Just before serving, stir in the butter and the parsley.