Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet

a bowl of cheesy taco rice with a lime wedge on the side.

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!

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 484

Author Ashlyn Edwards | Belle of the Kitchen

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.

Nutrition