This Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet is filled with quick-cooking minute rice, flavorful taco meat, melty cheese and is ready in under 15 minutes!
When we go camping in our trailer I’m always coming up with new one-pan recipes using whatever ingredients I happen to have in my small fridge and pantry. This Cheesy Taco Rice just happened to be one of those recipes and ever since I created it, we can’t get enough of it!
Ingredients for Cheesy Taco Rice
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this tasty dinner!
- Instant Rice – the quick cooking variety (like Minute Rice)
- Salsa – my restaurant salsa will work perfectly, or just a nice blended salsa (not too chunky)
- Taco Meat – I usually make this recipe when I have leftover taco meat, but you can make it fresh too.
- Taco Cheese Blend – a fun blend of cheeses usually labeled “taco blend” or “fiesta blend”
- Garlic Salt
- Cumin
- Lime Juice
I don’t always have fresh limes on hand when making this recipe, so it’s an optional ingredient, but one that I highly recommend. It helps to brighten the flavors of the dish and make it really pop.
Quick Spanish Rice Recipe
To start off the recipe for Cheesy Taco Rice you’ll first make a Quick Spanish Rice recipe. So quick, it only takes a few minutes!
- Bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup salsa, garlic salt, cumin and a little lime juice to a boil.
- Once it’s boiling, add in 3 cups of instant rice, stir, cover and remove from heat.
- Let the rice sit for 5 minutes (or until liquid is absorbed), then fluff with a fork. Done!
PRO TIP – if you don’t have minute rice, you can make my Mexican Rice recipe and once it’s cooked follow the remainder of this recipe.
All that’s left to do now is add in some taco meat and cheese, and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted throughout.
What To Serve With Taco Rice:
Honestly, my favorite way to eat this is with a pile of crispy tortilla chips. Just scoop up the taco rice with the chips and enjoy! Here are some more ways to stretch this meal even further.
- Top with sour cream, diced tomatoes, avocado slices and/or sliced black olives.
- Wrap up the taco rice in tortillas with my Instant Pot Refried Beans to make yummy burritos!
- Use to top a salad and drizzle my Creamy Tomatillo Ranch on top.
- Make my Black Beans to go on the side.
More Easy Mexican Recipes To Try:
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
- Quick Steak Fajitas
- Chicken Fajita Rice Skillet
Amazing Rice Side Dishes You’ll Love
Looking for more easy rice dishes? You’re in luck! Here are a bunch more to try…
- Garlic Parmesan Rice
- Easy Mexican Rice
- 5 Minute Cheesy Zucchini Rice
- Easy Vegetable Rice Pilaf
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Red Beans and Rice
I know you’re going to love this quick-cooking dinner as much as we do!
Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine water, salsa, garlic salt, cumin and lime juice in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, stir in the instant rice. Remove the pan from the heat and cover for 5 minutes (or until liquid has absorbed into the rice). Fluff rice with fork and bring back to stove top over low heat.
- Stir in the warmed taco meat and cheese and cook until cheese is melted throughout. Enjoy!
Turned out yummy, a bit too much lime but that’s my own fault! Should have realized it meant half a lime, juiced. Not half a cup of lime juice! Otherwise very yummy, added canned corn and black beans for a bit more variety.
I never have minute rice on hand, can I just cook regular rice with all the ingredients? Will it still work?
what are you doing with the salsa?
It’s combined with the water to cook the rice. It’s in the first step of the instructions.
S