Arroz al horno (baked rice)

Name: Arroz al horno (baked rice)
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 34 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 800g Pork belly slices; 150g Black Pudding; 100g Bacon lardon; 1 chopped Onion; 2 Red Pepper; 1 chopped Plum Tomatoes; 8 Garlic Clove; 4 teaspoons Paprika; 1/2 teaspoon Chilli Flakes; 200g Dried white beans; 1 1/2 L Chicken Stock; 6 parts Thyme; 375g Paella Rice; 1 Lemon Juice

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Pork recipe with Spanish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 45 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 52 min total

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
800g Pork Belly Slices
150g Black Pudding
100g Bacon Lardon
1 chopped Onion
2 Red Pepper
1 chopped Plum Tomatoes
8 Garlic Clove
4 teaspoons Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Chilli Flakes
200g Dried White Beans
1 1/2 L Chicken Stock
6 parts Thyme
375g Paella Rice
1 Lemon Juice

Step-by-step instructions

Heat oven to 200C/180C/gas 6. Heat half the oil in a deep frying or sauté pan (or shallow casserole dish) measuring around 30cm in diameter. Over a high heat, colour the pork belly slices on each side in several batches, then transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium, then add the black pudding and bacon and fry all over for several mins. Remove with a slotted spoon. Fry the onion and peppers for around 10 mins until soft and pale gold, then add the tomato and cook until soft. Add the garlic, smoked paprika and chilli flakes and cook for another 2 mins, then put the pork, black pudding and bacon back in the pan. Add the beans, stock and whichever herb you're using, and bring everything to the boil.
Sprinkle the rice around the pork belly, pushing it underneath the stock. Let the stock come to the boil again, season well, then transfer to the oven (leave it uncovered). Cook for 20 mins without stirring, then check to see how the rice is doing. The rice should be tender and the stock absorbed. If it’s not ready, put back in the oven for another 5 mins, then check again. Taste for seasoning.
Squeeze lemon juice over the top and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil just before serving, if you like.

Why this works on a weeknight

Arroz al horno (baked rice) lands at about 52 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Rice & Grain Bowls collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Arroz al horno (baked rice) actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍚 Rice & Grain Bowls Pork Spanish