Arroz tapado is a Peruvian dish that is easy to prepare and inexpensive. It is made with rice, carrots, ground beef, tomato paste, onions, garlic, black olives, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. This dish is layered, usually in a way where rice is on the bottom and on the top, with the other ingredients sandwiched in the middle layer.

Once assembled, arroz tapado is garnished with parsley and served with green salads, plantains, or avocado slices on the side, if desired.

Arroz chaufa is a popular Peruvian dish with a great influence of Chinese cuisine. It consists of a combination of fried rice, meats, vegetables, and fruits. Most commonly, rice is fried with shredded chicken, salami, garlic, ginger, slivered almonds, eggs, chicken stock, soy sauce, pineapple chunks, and pineapple juice, although there are numerous variations on the dish using ingredients such as fish, beef, pork, jerky, and even alligator meat.

Once prepared, the dish is typically garnished with chopped scallions and coriander.

Baião is a traditional folk dance of the Brazilian Ceará region, which was popularized by two musicians, Humberto Teixeira and Luís Gonzaga, in a song called Baião-de-dois (baião for two). The name of the song attached itself to the dish of the same name, consisting of freshly picked black-eyed peas and rice cooked together, reminiscent of a couple dancing the baião.

The dish has numerous varieties throughout the region, so some cooks add dried beef (carne de sol), while the others add pork or cheese to the combination. Garnishes may include freshly chopped coriander and chives. The history of the dish dates back to the time of great difficulties, when food was scarce and nothing could go to waste, so, like many other dishes, this one was also created out of necessity, combining rice, beans, and kitchen leftovers.

Both savory and sweet in flavor, arroz con coco is a flavorful Colombian side dish consisting of white rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and water. When mixed with raisins, arroz con coco becomes slightly sweeter, while the version without raisins is more savory and traditionally served with fish dishes.

It is recommended to use coconut milk without stabilizers so that it can separate into fat and solids.

Arroz con camarones is a dish that is popular throughout Latin America, especially in Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. It consists of rice that is cooked in a flavorful shrimp broth, combined with shrimp, peppers, tomatoes, and onions. The dish is usually seasoned with cumin, garlic, and achiote, with the addition of finely chopped parsley used for garnishing.

Arroz con camarones can be served with numerous accompaniments such as lime wedges, hot sauce, avocado slices, or fried plantains.

Arroz carreteiro or wagoner's rice is a hearty rice and meat dish hailing from the south of Brazil. Originally, it was prepared by gauchos who needed a nutritious meal on their travels. Back then, arroz carreteiro was made with dried beef, but today it can be made with either charqui or leftovers from barbecues.

Other ingredients include onions, sausages, bell peppers, garlic, oil, and parsley. When served, arroz carreteiro is often topped with grated parmesan.

Arroz atollado is a Colombian rice dish originating from the Valle del Cauca region, especially the town of Cali and the surrounding area. The main ingredients include rice, stock, oil, pork, sausages, red and yellow potatoes, and peas. This Colombian risotto is usually combined with hogao tomato sauce, consisting of onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and cumin.

After the dish has been fully cooked, it is recommended to serve it with avocados, slices of hard-boiled eggs, plantain chips, and chopped cilantro.

Guyanese cook-up rice is Guyana's national one-pot dish consisting of rice, meats, and herbs cooked with coconut milk. Considered to be a poor man's dish, it was originally made with the purpose to be eaten at the end of the week, when all food rations would be depleted.

The meat is cooked with rice and beans or peas, heavily seasoned with fresh herbs such as spring onions, basil, and thyme. The rice develops a wet, moist texture, and cooking the dish in coconut milk gives it a richness and depth of flavor that is unique to the Guyanese cuisine. 

Tacu-tacu is a simple and rustic Peruvian dish that combines rice, beans, various spices, and onions. The ingredients are typically pan-fried and formed in a thick, pancake-like dish. It is believed that tacu-tacu originated among the African community, while the name stems from the Quechuan taka-taka, which translates as pounded or mashed.

The variation of this classic may include lentils, and the dish is typically served with a fried egg on top or sided with breaded and fried meat, fried plantains, and the onion-based salsa criolla.