My Mexican beef and rice skillet is a fast, one-pan dinner combining taco-seasoned floor beef, veggies, and fluffy rice. It’s budget-friendly, family-approved, and prepared in about half-hour!
If you happen to’re craving extra Latin dinners, attempt picadillo and arroz con polo. I additionally love the flavors on this low-carb baked Cajun hen with cauliflower rice.
Like my Mexican burrito skillet and taco pasta recipes, this Mexican beef and rice skillet is a type of fast, simple weeknight meals I can throw collectively in half-hour. Even higher, all of the elements prepare dinner in a single pan! Impressed by Spanish rice recipes, this all-in-one dinner incudes tender rice filled with tomato and daring taco spices, rounded out by juicy floor beef, onions, and diced bell peppers.
About This Flavorful Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Daring Mexican flavors. Juicy floor beef, tender fajita veggies, and rice are simmered in a smoky, savory seasoned broth. It’s an effective way to make use of inexpensive floor beef and leftover rice.
- One-pan, half-hour. All the things cooks collectively in a single pot, making it good for busy weeknights if you need one thing hearty, flavorful, and quick.
- Tasty and versatile. Serve this beef and rice straight from the pan, scoop it into heat tortillas, or use it as a filling for lettuce wraps or zucchini boats. It additionally reheats fantastically, so lunch the subsequent day is already coated.
You’ll Want These Elements
Right here’s a fast take a look at the elements on this Mexican rice skillet. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe quantities and step-by-step directions.
- Olive Oil – Or whichever cooking oil you like.
- Onion and Bell Peppers – I add in diced yellow or white onions and bell peppers, as you’ll discover in fajitas. Any shade of bell pepper works (I take advantage of crimson and inexperienced).
- Garlic – Freshly minced. If you happen to don’t have recent garlic, substitute ¼-½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- Floor Beef – I choose utilizing lean floor beef because it’s much less greasy. You may make this recipe with leftover taco meat, or swap the bottom beef with floor hen or turkey.
- Taco Seasoning – I take advantage of my do-it-yourself taco seasoning. Sure, you may most undoubtedly use store-bought taco seasoning, however do-it-yourself is greatest. 😉 You may even use fajita seasoning, which may be very comparable.
- Tomato Paste – Common tomato sauce additionally works in a pinch.
- Rice – You’ll need to use long-grain white rice, reminiscent of basmati or jasmine rice, or brown rice for this recipe (save the minute rice for a Hoppin’ John skillet!). You should utilize raw rice, or see my be aware in a while about making this Mexican skillet with leftover rice.
- Beef Broth – Low-sodium is greatest. You might additionally use hen broth or vegetable broth.
Recipe Suggestions
- Use a big skillet with a tight-fitting lid. This helps the rice prepare dinner evenly and take up the liquid correctly.
- No peeking! Don’t elevate the lid whereas the rice cooks. Peeking too early releases the trapped steam, leading to undercooked rice.
- Modify the seasoning on the finish. Taco seasoning blends differ, so style earlier than serving and add salt or spice as wanted.
- Let it relaxation earlier than serving. A ten-minute relaxation after cooking permits the rice to complete absorbing moisture and retains the skillet from turning into soupy.
Straightforward Variations
- Use shredded beef. As an alternative of browning the bottom beef, make this skillet recipe with leftover cooked Mexican beef, like beef barbacoa or beef machaca. You may prepare dinner the rice after which stir the meat in on the finish.
- Swap the protein. Floor turkey or hen works properly. These milder, leaner meats might have a bit of further seasoning.
- Add in greens. Chopped or sliced mushrooms, canned peas and carrots (drained), or a frozen vegetable combine make nice additions. For greatest outcomes, preserve the full quantity of greens to not more than 2 cups so the rice cooks correctly.
- Add corn and beans. Add frozen corn or drained canned corn, together with canned black beans or pinto beans (additionally rinsed and drained). You might additionally add chickpeas.
- Make it tacky. Stir in a shredded Mexican cheese mix or crumble Oaxaca cheese on prime.
What to Serve With Mexican Beef and Rice
Serve this Mexican beef and rice skillet with toppings like diced avocado, guacamole, bitter cream, and do-it-yourself salsa. On the facet, get pleasure from a easy inexperienced salad or a candy potato salad, topped with avocado dressing, and heat garlic bread for a straightforward, filling dinner. It’s additionally nice scooped into tortillas or naan, or loved straight from the skillet for a fast meal.
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Sauté the greens. Set a big skillet over excessive warmth and heat the olive oil. Add the onion and bell peppers; prepare dinner, stirring often, for 4 minutes.
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Prepare dinner the meat. Add within the floor beef and break it up with a wood spoon. Season with taco seasoning and stir round till properly included. Prepare dinner the bottom beef for 7 to eight minutes, or till browned.
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Add tomato paste, rice, and broth. Stir within the tomato paste and rice, and prepare dinner for 1 minute. Pour within the beef broth and blend properly. Deliver to a boil, then decrease the warmth to medium-low.
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Cowl and simmer. Cowl the skillet with a lid and proceed to prepare dinner for about 12 to 14 minutes, or till a lot of the liquid is absorbed.
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Take away from the warmth and let it relaxation. Take away the skillet from the warmth; stir the meat combination with a fork and canopy once more. Put aside for 10 minutes, and preserve it coated.
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Serve. Fluff with a fork and style for seasonings; regulate accordingly, then serve.
Energy: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 21g | Fats: 9g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 855IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 3mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could differ based on the elements and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
Learn how to Make This Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
We’re sautéeing the greens, cooking the meat, and simmering the rice in the identical skillet. Not solely does this make cleansing up tremendous fast, however all of the flavors meld collectively into a very scrumptious Mexican-inspired meal. Let’s get began:
- Prepare dinner the greens. First, warmth the oil in a big skillet. Sauté the onion and bell peppers till softened.
- Brown the meat. Subsequent, add the bottom beef and taco seasoning. Prepare dinner, breaking apart the meat, till it’s browned and cooked by means of, about 7 minutes.
- Add the rice and liquids. Stir within the tomato paste, rice, and beef broth, mixing till all the things is properly mixed. Deliver the skillet to a boil.
- Simmer till tender. Scale back the warmth to low, cowl, and prepare dinner for 14 to fifteen minutes, or till the rice is tender and a lot of the liquid is absorbed.
- Fluff, relaxation, and serve. Take the skillet off the warmth and fluff the rice with a fork. Cowl, and let sit for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Use Leftover Rice
I really like making this beef and rice skillet with leftover cooked white rice. On this case, as an alternative of cooking the rice within the beef inventory, stir the tomato paste and cooked rice into the browned floor beef. Prepare dinner for five minutes, till all the things heats by means of.
You can too make a low-carb model of this recipe with cauliflower rice utilizing the identical methodology as above.
How To Retailer
- Refrigerate. As soon as the meat and rice have fully cooled, retailer them in an hermetic container and preserve them within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
- Reheat. I counsel reheating leftovers in a skillet set over medium warmth. Add a bit of little bit of broth or water when reheating to assist loosen the combination.
