Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
This Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet is an easy one pot recipe. It’s full of taco-seasoned ground beef, flavorful rice, and melty cheese. Load it up with your favorite toppings like sour cream, avocado, or guacamole. This is a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will love, plus it makes great leftovers!
For more Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes, be sure to check out my Air Fryer Salmon Bites, Pierogi Casserole, and One Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni.
I’m a big fan of one-pot meals, and this Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet is a total winner in that category.
One pot meals like this, or my Cheesy Sausage and Peppers Pasta are great because you don’t need to dirty a lot of pots and pans to get dinner on the table. The less dishes to wash the better!
And if you’re craving comfort food with Mexican flair, then you will love this one! Taco rice, ground beef, and lots of cheese come together for a one-skillet dinner that’s super easy to make.
This is an easy meal that is full of simple ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry. It’s a great recipe for busy weeknights when you don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table and need a meal that even picky eaters will love.
Ingredients for Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Diced Onion – one small yellow or sweet onion.
- Lean Ground beef – I like to use 93% lean ground beef. You could also replace this with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Garlic – 2-3 cloves of fresh minced garlic is what you will need.
- Taco seasoning mix – you will need a single one ounce packet of taco seasoning. I prefer to use low sodium. If you buy your taco seasoning in bulk or prefer to use homemade taco seasoning, this is about 3 Tablespoons.
- Beef broth – this gives extra flavor to the dish and is the liquid for cooking your rice. I like to buy low sodium or unsalted broth.
- Diced Tomatoes with green chiles – like Rotel. You can use whichever level of spice you prefer; I usually buy mild for my family.
- Tomato paste – adds flavor and acts as a thickening agent for the dish.
- Uncooked rice – regular long grain white rice is what you will need.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – you can use mild or sharp cheddar. You could also use monterey jack cheese instead.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Mexican Beef and Rice – Step by Step
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion to the skillet.
- Crumble the beef with a wooden spoon, cooking until browned. Drain any excess grease from the pan then add the minced garlic and taco seasoning. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the beef broth, Rotel, and tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, then stir in the rice.
- Reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and top the rice with the cheese. Place the lid back on the pan and cook for 3-5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
Serving Suggestions
I like to treat this mexican ground beef skillet like I would a yummy taco and pile on our favorite taco toppings. We love to top ours with a dollop of sour cream, some pico de gallo, and Copycat Chipotle Guacamole. I’m a cilantro lover, so I always sprinkle mine with chopped fresh cilantro. I also recommend adding a few lime wedges on the side to add some brightness!
A fresh green salad or some Blender Mexican Salsa with tortilla chips would be great for serving on the side.
Tips and Notes
- This rice skillet recipe is easy to customize. Some delicious additions you could make to it would be black beans, corn, or even chopped bell peppers.
- What kind of rice to use: I used regular rice in this recipe; specifically long grain white rice. You could also use instant rice (or minute rice) which would reduce your cooking time to about five minutes.
- Brown rice: I have never made this recipe with brown rice before so I cannot say how well it wouid turn out. Brown rice takes much longer to cook than white rice, which could compromise the texture of the rest of the dish. If you would like to prepare this using brown rice, my recommendation would be to prepare the rice separately then add it to the rest of the ingredients before topping with the cheese.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
More Mexican Recipes You Should Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning, I prefer low sodium
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth, I prefer low sodium
- 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion to the skillet. Crumble the beef with a wooden spoon, cooking until browned.
- Drain any excess grease from the pan then add the minced garlic and taco seasoning. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the beef broth, Rotel, and tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, then stir in the rice.
- Reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and top the rice with the cheese. Place the lid back on the pan and cook for 3-5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
Notes
- This rice skillet recipe is easy to customize. Some delicious additions you could make to it would be black beans, corn, or even chopped bell peppers.
- What kind of rice to use: I used regular rice in this recipe; specifically long grain white rice. You could also use instant rice (or minute rice) which would reduce your cooking time to about five minutes.
- Brown rice: I have never made this recipe with brown rice before so I cannot say how well it wouid turn out. Brown rice takes much longer to cook than white rice, which could compromise the texture of the rest of the dish. If you would like to prepare this using brown rice, my recommendation would be to prepare the rice separately then add it to the rest of the ingredients before topping with the cheese.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
This is my family’s new favorite meal! It was easy to make and was so good!
Just made your Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet for dinner and it was so flavorful and satisfying! I love one-pan meals and this one didn’t disappoint.