Mexican Beef & Rice Skillet

Apr 01, 2023

March 31, 2023

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Who doesn’t love easy, one-pot dinners that offer so much flavor? With one skillet, minimal ingredients, and about 40 minutes of your time—you will have a delicious dinner ready to overtake taco night! Top this with your favorite taco toppings and you have a complete meal without the tortillas.

Easy dishes are important to me as of late with the definition of little dishes, minimal ingredients, and simple to make with noncomplicated directions. One-skillet recipes are the perfect example. This recipe requires a basic list of ingredients, most likely ones you already have sitting in your pantry and buying on the regular. Everything is cooked together, including the beef and rice, which gives it more flavor than you would imagine. It gives the rice extra flavor. The ground beef will also become extra tender when boiling along with the beef broth. I just can’t explain how much you need this recipe in your repertoire.

How to make Mexican Beef & Rice

Within 40 minutes, you’ll have the easiest, flavorful, and delicious dinner that’s completely family friendly and perfect for busy nights! Little to no dishes is something I’ve been striving to conquer lately. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).

Uncooked White Rice: Yes, you read that right, uncooked! It will cook right in the skillet with the beef broth. If you choose to use brown rice instead of white, just be warned that you will need to allow a longer cooking time. It’s probably best if you avoid using brown rice, but if you must insist, then I would recommend using instant brown rice since it takes less time to cook than regular dry long-grain brown rice.
Ground Beef: I use an 80-20 fat ratio, but feel free to use a leaner percentage. The leaner the beef, the less fat you need to drain.
Yellow Onion & Garlic
Red Bell Pepper: An extra pop of flavor. You can use green bell peppers.
Canned Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: I love using these tomatoes in place of regular tomatoes. They taste sweet and subtly smoky right out of the can, instead of bitter and acidic like most standard canned tomatoes.
Frozen White or Yellow Corn: This gives a nice color pop, plus some sweetness to combat the savory taco seasoning. It’s what was missing when I made it before. White corn is sweeter than yellow, so that’s what I used.
Taco Seasoning: The 1 oz packets of taco seasoning are perfect for this recipe when you are on a budget and in need of less time. However, you can make your own taco seasoning if you’re ambitious enough.
Beef Broth: This is the liquid you need to cook the rice, as well as making the ground beef extra tender. If you choose to use water, you’ll be losing so much flavor.
Colby Jack, Cheddar Jack, or Monterey Jack: I used cheddar jack cheese, but you can use either Colby jack or Monterey jack.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic for about 1-2 minutes, then add in the ground beef. Break it up, then cook until it’s no longer pink. Drain completely, then return it to the skillet. Add in the bell pepper, diced tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, rice, and beef broth. Stir to combine. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium heat. Let it cook, stirring halfway through, or until the liquid is completely absorbed and the rice is cooked all the way. Remove the lid and stir the rice, then top with the cheese. Cover again, and let it cook over medium-low heat, or until the cheese is completely melted. Serve and top with your favorite taco toppings.

Tips & FAQs

Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Variations:
- Swap out the white rice for instant brown rice, which cooks faster. Just follow the directions for the liquid-to-rice ratio and adjust the measurements from there.
- Add some more veggies or serve them on the side such as steamed broccoli, shredded carrots, or peas.
- Use ground turkey in place of ground beef for a leaner dish.
- Add in some black beans or pinto beans for some extra fiber.
- Like it spicy? Add in some chopped jalapenos, or hit it with some tabasco or cayenne pepper.
- Swap the rice out entirely for cauliflower rice. Skip the broth entirely and mix it in at the end.
Don’t skip browning! It may be tempting to save time, but you’ll miss out on a lot of flavors if you don’t brown the meat, onions, and garlic.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Servings 6

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Total time

40 Min