Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2

Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces then cook over medium heat in a large skillet until browned and crispy. Remove bacon to a small bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan.

Step 3

Add onion, green pepper and celery then sauté in bacon drippings for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Add garlic, butter and uncooked rice to vegetables then continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes or until rice starts to become slightly golden in color.

Step 5

Add reserved cooked bacon pieces, tomatoes (with juice), salt, pepper and water then stir well. Bring mixture to a boil then pour into a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Step 6

Cover dish TIGHTLY with 2 layers of aluminum foil then bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Get the dish into the oven immediately so the boiling mixture doesn’t have time to cool too much.

Step 7

Remove dish from oven, carefully remove foil then fluff rice with a fork. If the rice still needs to cook a bit (it likely will – if not, replace foil and skip to the next step), replace foil then return dish to oven to cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Step 8

Remove dish from oven and let rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork then serve.