Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Rice Skillet is a fiesta of flavor with savory ground beef, tomatoes, and spicy green chilies with fluffy rice for a filling and delicious meal. Perfect for busy weeknights, this easy one-pot wonder is sure to become a family favorite.
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email below and we’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Tex Mex ground beef and rice bowls recipe is a simple yet flavorful one-pot meal. Full of protein and veggies. This recipe is a healthy and satisfying option for any night of the week. Plus, it’s incredibly versatile, so you can customize it to your liking with different spices and add-ins
If you’re looking for more skillet recipes, try these Chicken Enchilada Skillet, Simple Mexican Skillet and Skillet Steak Sandwiches.
Why We Love This Ground Beef and Rice Casserole Recipe
This ground beef rice recipe is perfect for those looking for a quick and easy dinner option. The recipe uses basic pantry staples, made in just one pan, which means minimal cleanup!
- 30-Minute Meal: This is a one-pan recipe that is easy to make and great for busy weeknights. Make in just 30 minutes.
- Easy Ingredients: The ingredients in this recipe are easy and simple pantry staples such as seasonings and beef broth.
- Makes Great Leftovers: This cheesy ground beef meal is great leftovers and makes a perfect lunch for the next day. Everyone will love this recipe.
Ingredient Notes for Ground Beef and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Ground Beef: We recommend using lean ground beef for this recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute and use ground turkey or chicken.
- Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies: This adds a flavorful kick to the dish. If you don’t like spicy food, you can swap for plain diced tomatoes.
- Rice: This recipe calls for leftover white rice, but use brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, long grain rice, or use minute rice or instant rice. It is so quick to make.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements. Nutritional information for this delicious casserole is below.
Variations and Substitutions for Beef Casserole with Rice
This tex mex rice and hamburger recipe is sure to become a go-to meal in your household. It’s not only delicious and satisfying, but it’s also easy to customize based on what you have on hand.
- Cauliflower Rice: For a low-carb option, you can use cauliflower rice or wild rice, dirty rice, or whatever your family will love.
- Ground Turkey/ Ground Chicken: Instead of the beef substitute ground meat with ground turkey, ground pork, or chicken for a leaner protein option for this dinner recipe.
- Cooking variation: You can also cook this hamburger skillet recipe on the grill or in a slow cooker for a more hands-off meal.
How to Make Easy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet Recipes
Hamburger and rice casserole are extremely easy to make and perfect when you need a satisfying and comforting meal that comes together quickly all in one pot meal.
These are the basic steps for making ground beef and rice casserole. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions for this quick dinner.
Step 1: Brown Ground Beef
Place a large skillet on medium heat and add the ground beef and seasonings. Cook the ground beef and brown the ground beef then drain and return to the stove.
Step 2: Cook Vegetables
Add the vegetables and garlic to the pan. Continue to cook for about 4 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Step 3: Add Rice and Simmer
Add in the white rice, beef broth or beef stock, Rotel, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Bring the mixed ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Step 4: Remove From Heat and Add Cheese to the Casserole Dish
Remove from the heat and sprinkle on a layer of cheese on top. Cover and let the beef and rice rest for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and gooey.
Recipe FAQs for this Beef and Rice with Veggies
Expert Tips for Making This Simple Ground Beef Recipe
This classic Tex-Mex dish is a great way to enjoy the hearty and flavorful combination of rice, ground beef, vegetables, and spices. It’s simple enough for beginner cooks yet delicious enough for experienced chefs. Whether a main course or a side dish, you can be sure it will be a hit with everyone at the table!
- Toppings: Adding toppings to your rice recipe will really complete the casserole. Sour cream or tortilla strips would be great for toppings.
- Different Seasonings: You can easily switch up the seasonings to customize it you your liking. Using a taco seasoning would be a great option. Onion Powder, garlic powder, or other seasonings are wonderful.
- Roasted Corn: For a complete Tex-Mex taste, adding roasted corn to your hamburger rice recipe is a perfect touch.
- Uses: You can eat this cheesy ground beef and rice right off the oven or use this mixture to fill a taco or burrito or stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage rolls.
What to Serve with Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Recipe
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a star rating and review below!
Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
Equipment
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef, lean
- 1 medium Yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium Red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning
- 10 oz Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, do not drain
- 1 ½ cups Beef broth or stock
- 1 cup Long grain rice
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley, garnish if desired
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add ground beef, garlic, and seasoning. Brown ground beef and drain. Return to the stove at medium heat.
- Add in the garlic, onion, and peppers. Stir and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions and peppers are soften.
- Add the beef broth, rice, undrained Rotel, and Worcestershire Sauce and stir until all ingredients are well combined.
- Bring everything to a steady boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Cover the skillet and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Christina’s Notes
- Toppings: Adding toppings to your rice skillet recipe will really complete the casserole. Sour cream or tortilla strips would be great for toppings.
- Different Seasonings: You can easily switch up the seasonings to customize it you your liking. Using a taco seasoning would be a great option.
- Roasted Corn: For a complete tex mex taste, adding roasted corn to your hamburger rice recipe is a perfect touch.
- Uses: You can eat this cheesy ground beef and rice right off the oven or use this mixture to fill a taco or burrito.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
We love honest feedback, but to keep reviews helpful for everyone, we reserve the right to remove star ratings if it is clear the recipe has not been made, if the comment does not provide meaningful input, or if significant substitutions or alterations were made. Please note that ratings should reflect the original recipe as written to avoid confusing other readers.
This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
I am making the filling right now. I went looking for an enchilada filling and adapted your recipe to cheesy baked ground pork/beef enchiladas. It smells divine! As I don’t care for the skins of bell pepper and am rather lazy, I keep frozen, quartered red and green bell peppers ready to pop into something like this. When partially cooked, I can peel the skin off and stir the flesh into the sauce. Thank you!
I also have a question about a Tex-Mex dish my former neighbor used to make but which I have been unable to find a recipe close enough online. She called it Peanut Butter Chicken, made by simmering chicken breasts, then shredding or cubing the meat and adding it back into a light, silky cream sauce that had a slight peanut butter taste but was thoroughly delicious. Served over rice. Any ideas?
I do not have a recipe but I believe it might be: Encacahuatados: This is a general term for dishes that are “in peanut sauce.” You might find Pollo Encacahuatado (chicken in peanut sauce) or other meats and vegetables prepared this way. These sauces are similar to mole in their use of peanuts for richness and thickness, but they might be simpler and less ingredient-heavy than a full mole. But now you have me thinking about trying my hand at it.