One pot meals are perfect for cozying up, and this Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet has all the yummy things like rice, beef, cheese, and beans – all cooked in the same pot. I like to serve this with a simple cabbage slaw, and you’ve got yourself a tasty, healthy, cozy dish.
This is comfort food in a pan – it’s cheesy, beany, and flavorful, and I’m calling it a Mexican Beef and Rice skillet. You start off by prepping your vegetables – here I’m using a squash and scallion, but you can also use a sweet potato and onion. Then, brown your ground beef and season with salt, cumin, and chili powder. Add in the squash and onions, then a can of tomatoes, rinsed black beans, rice, quinoa, and broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, and in the meantime, you can make a simple cabbage slaw. I just super thinly slice some red cabbage and toss this with salt pepper, olive oil, and lime juice.
After the rice is cooked, top with some shredded cheese, broil until it’s nice and bubbly (~3 minutes), and then enjoy.
Chef Tips:
On Ingredients
- I use a small honeynut squash (it’s easier to prep than butternut, and you can keep the skin on!), but you can also use 1 sweet potato or jam instead of squash.
- Drain and rinse the black beans, or else it might give your dish a black hue.
- I use 80/20 ground beef, but you substitute this with brown button mushrooms, minced pork, or minced turkey.
- Note how much sodium is in your chicken broth if you are using broth instead of water. I call for 1 teaspoon of kosher salt if using water, but reduce this to 1/2 teaspoon if you’re using chicken broth.
For Cooking
- Drain some of the fat away after you brown the ground beef. I use a paper towel and tongs to let it absorb – and then compost it.
- Even if you add salt with each component, be sure to add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt once you add in the rice. The beans and tomatoes don’t contain a lot of salt, so these need to be generously seasoned as the skillet steams.
- Finish in the broiler with the cheese on top to get a quick and browned top!
High Level Directions
Prep the vegetables
Brown the beef and cook the vegetables.
Add the grains and broth, then cook covered for 20 minutes.
Prep the vegetables for the cabbage slaw, then toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
Add the cheese to the skillet, then broil.
Other great side salad recipes:
Video Tutorial
Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
Mexican Beef Rice Skillet
- .5 lb Ground beef
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 Sweet potato or honeynut squash, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ bunch Green onions
- 3/4 cup rice
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1.25 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded mexican or cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the cabbage slaw
- ½ Lime juiced
- ½ head Red cabbage
- ¼ bunch Cilantro chopped
- ¼ bunch scallions
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Prep the skillet vegetables – dice the squash into ½” pieces, dice the onion, and thinly slice the green onions.½ yellow onion, 1 Sweet potato, ½ bunch Green onions
- Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add another tablespoon of oil then add the ground beef. Mince with a wooden spoon, then season with kosher salt, the ground cumin, and chili powder..5 lb Ground beef, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, Kosher salt
- Once browned, remove the excess fat if you desire. Then, add the cubed squash and diced onions, and scallions.½ yellow onion, 1 Sweet potato, ½ bunch Green onions
- After 3 minutes, add the rice and quinoa. Toast for 2 minutes, then add the broth, drained beans, canned tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.3/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup quinoa, 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, 1.25 cups chicken broth, 1 can black beans
- Bring up to a simmer, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
- As the rice cooks, slice the cabbage and cilantro. Toss with a pinch of kosher salt, black pepper, the 1 tablespoon of chopped scallions, the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil.Black pepper, ½ Lime, ½ head Red cabbage, ¼ bunch Cilantro, Kosher salt, Olive oil, Black pepper
- After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and add the shredded cheese. Cover and let sit covered for another 10 minutes.1 cup shredded mexican
- Once the cheese is slightly melted and the rice is tender, uncover. You can broil for 3 minutes to get some color, or just top with scallions, and serve.½ bunch Green onions
Nutrition
This recipe is part of our Good on Grains series (15 easy weeknight dinner recipes that are perfect to cozy up with a bowl of rice!)
Check out the other recipes here.
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