Welcome to Easy Dinner Street with this One Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice.
Serve this hearty dinner with all the taco toppings like Pico de Gallo, Guacamole and Salsa!
This quick and easy ground beef recipe comes together in under 30 minutes.
The best part… we’re only using ONE PAN to make it all happen.
Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Cooking the ground beef and rice together make the rice extra flavorful, while the ground beef becomes extra tender as well.
Ingredients Needed:
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Onion
- Ground Beef – use a lean ground beef if possible
- Taco Seasoning – my homemade taco blend is amazing!
- Diced Tomatoes – from the can (juices and all)
- Fire Roasted Corn – from a can (or frozen corn will work too)
- Beef Broth – low sodium
- Colby Jack Cheese – or a Mexican cheese blend
How To Make Mexican Beef and Rice
This recipe comes together so quick, you’ll be making it a few times a month!
BROWN GROUND BEEF Cook the ground beef and onion in a skillet until it’s no longer pink. Drain any fat and then season with the taco seasoning.
ADD TOMATOES, CORN, AND RICE Stir in the diced tomatoes, corn kernels, rice and beef broth and mix until combined. Bring the mixture to a small boil, then reduce the heat to a small simmer, cover and continue cooking until the rice is tender.
TOP WITH CHEESE Fluff the rice mixture with a fork once it’s cooked through, cover the beef and rice with cheese and then cover again, until the cheese is melted.
Tips and Variations
The best thing about recipes like this is that they are easily adaptable to different variations. Here are some easy swaps and tips to try…
- You can swap brown rice in place of white rice, however, brown rice does need more liquid and more time to cook fully. So increase the beef broth to 2 1/2 cups and increase the cook time until the rice is nice and tender.
- Cauliflower rice? Yes! You can make this recipe a low-carb dinner by simply swapping out the white rice for 3 cups of cauliflower rice at the very end. Skip the beef broth altogether.
- Try using ground turkey in place of the ground beef for a lighter version.
- Add a can of drained black beans or pinto beans to amp up the fiber!
What To Serve with Mexican?
This recipe for Mexican Beef and Rice is one that I would usually serve with just a side of steamed broccoli, carrots or a garden salad. But if you’re looking for the full experience, here are some of my favorite Mexican side dishes to pair with this one-skillet dinner.
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Creamy Mexican Corn Salad
More One Pan Dinners with Ground Beef
I’m such a sucker for one pan dinners with ground beef because they’re quick, easy and my family always digs them. Here are some more tasty recipes I think you should try…
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Easy Korean Ground Beef
- Italian Beef and Pasta Skillet
- Easy Cheeseburger Pasta
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Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning, 1 or 2 of the packets
- 14 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup fire roasted corn kernels, drained
- 3/4 cups white long grain rice, uncooked
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
Taco toppings:
- Sour Cream
- Diced Avocado
- Sliced Black Olives
- Chopped Cilantro
- Salsa
Instructions
- Cook the onion in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the ground beef, using a wooden spoon to break up and crumble. Cook until no longer pink. Drain and discard fat. Return skillet to heat.
- Add the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, corn kernels, rice and beef broth, stir until combined. Bring to a small boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring at 10 minutes.
- Stir and top with the shredded cheese. Cover and cook on low for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with the taco toppings of your choice! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
You can also add a 1/2 cup of rinsed and drained black beans to the skillet before covering to cook if desired.
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE
Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe
Glenn A. Lopez
Wish I could rate this recipe a ten!
Absolutely Delicious and extremely simple to prepare and cook, not to mention that clean up was a breeze!!❤️
Manda
This has become a hit for my entire family. Though I use southwest corn in place of the fire roasted corn as I can never find it. I also switch the diced tomato’s for fire roasted rotel (2 cans) and add black&pinto beans. It’s so good and perfectly spicy. I’m thankful for this recipe and tweaking it a bit
Paul
The recipe says to increase broth to 2 1/2 cups, if using brown rice, but in one of the comments you replied to, you said to reduce the broth to 1 1/2 cups. I made it tonight, and it was delicious, but it was more of a taco soup than a one skillet meal. (I used 2 cups.) Which is correct: 1 1/2 cups or 2 1/2 cups if using brown rice? Thanks from Dallas!
Harolyn
Amazing recipe! Quick, simple and perfect for a week night dinner when you are pressed for time and need to make a really great tasting dinner fast.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Shelly
My husband’s fav. And teen son too. I substitute rice for Cauliflower rice so no broth. Sometimes use spicy sausage instead of beef too. Great weekday meal and quick.
Max
Any suggestions on how to replace the rice in this recipe with something like orzo or Israeli couscous?
Amanda Mason
Absolutely DELICIOUS! Swapped the beef for ground turkey! Still amazing! 4/5 stars because I cooked the rice for over 40 minutes and it still wasn’t done. It was boiling before bringing to a simmer and it just took FOREVER! Next time, I’ll cook the rice separate most likely!
Crystal
I just made it. It was a hit!!! Quick and fulfilling. Thank you.
Sylvia Guerra
I recently found this recipe & tried it two nights ago. Well, I’m still thinking about it, It was so easy to put together and it was delish. This is one that will go into my rotation. I added a can of green chilis and black beans. Perfect!
Charlie
This recipe is delicious!!!
I added black beans, one can of sweet corn, and chipotle beef broth. I will definitely be making this again.
Cathy Ward Sandlin
I made this last night and it was excellent! I rinsed some black beans and added them to the skillet and it was even better! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Suzanne
We loved this recipe! So good in so many ways! Just being the two of us I halved the recipe and used Mexican blend cheese on top! Yum yum yum! Thanks Shawn.
Andrea
I made this for dinner last night & it was delicious. I doubled it & since my husband hates tomatoes, I used a can of black beans & pinto beans. Everyone loved it & it’s going into regular rotation. Thanks!
Helen Bennett
Do you drain the corn ?
Shawn
Yes, you’ll drain the corn. Enjoy!
Loren Anderson
This is a great recipe. So easy and delicious!! I have shared it with others and everyone loves it!!
April
This is delicious!! Super easy to make and my whole family loved it . Thank you for sharing such great recipes. I love your site!
Jude
There is nothing wrong with this recipe and so many things right about it. It’s easy, quick and delicious! I followed recipe but halved it and used regular
frozen corn instead of fire roasted (I bet they would be good) and 2 chopped roma tomatoes for canned. This recipe will be on regular rotation. Thanks Shawn!
TMC
Made this just as directed. Really was easy and the whole family loved it! We ate it with tortilla chips and got very full! I will make this again!
Beth
Great recipe. It is only the two of us so we got three meals out of this recipe. We loved it! (I already get your emails.)
SHERRY
I DID NOT SEE THE VIDEO FOR THIS ( PLEASE ADD ONE
MEXICAN BEEF AND RICE SKILLET 3-8-22
THANKS
NO MORE EMAILS I AM ALREADY ON THE EMAIL LIST
Shawn
Hi Sherry, if you scroll into the blog post there is a section that reads, “Watch Video” and you can watch the video there. Thanks!
Christy
I’ve made this twice in two weeks. It’s safe to say this will become a Taco Tuesday staple for us. My only mod is adding black beans which make it heartier!
Cathy L
This was fabulous! I had actually searched for recipes to make with leftover COOKED rice which I had a lot of. Thankfully I noticed it calls for UNCOOKED rice. No worries. I just added the cooked rice (2 cups cooked for 3/4 cups uncooked) halfway through the cooking process so it wouldn’t be mushy. Turned out wonderfully and will be on my regular menu. We ate like a taco dip with chips and all the fixings! Tasty and delicious!
Shawn
Wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. My favorite way to use leftover rice is in a fried rice. 🙂
Debra
I lost track of this recipe and it showed up in my Facebook memories….making it now! This is delicious and reminds us of one of our favorite restaurants!
Ruth
Yum!
Shawn
Glad you enjoyed it Ruth!
angelie
I had to comment and tell you this is one of my favourite meals. Its become a staple at our house!
Shawn
That’s so awesome to hear. We make this quite often as well!
Vanessa
Do you use regular rice or instant/minute rice?
Shawn
I use regular rice, typically my go-to is Jasmine rice. 🙂
Sue
I make this at least once a month. My picky children love it! I can’t find fire roasted corn so I use regular corn. Instead, I use a can of salsa style fire roasted diced tomatoes and add a can of rinsed and drained black beans. It is so good!!!
Shawn
Yay! I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe Sue!
Brandie Cotton
How could I sub brown rice for the white rice?
Lori
I’ve made this twice and I LOVE it!!! I make either burritos or put in tortilla boats. Delicious
Shawn
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lori! The tortilla boats sound like a fun way of eating it!
Grace
Great recipe! I’m in love with one dish dinners- a life saver! I didn’t have a can of diced tomatoes but I had a can of rotel and it came out great!
Janeene
When I print the recipe it comes out so light that I can hardly read it. I have uped the scale to 3, but it still comes out the same way.Please help!
Shawn
Hi Janeene, it sounds like maybe your printer is running low on ink? My recipes are made to print black ink, so that’s the only thing I can think of?
Audrey Brown
The taste is great however despite following the instruction to cook for 20 minutes, the rice wasn’t done (i.e., still crunchy :-)). I will definitely make this again but will either use rice that is already cooked or is at least parboiled. I bet it would be great with chicken in place of the ground beef, too.
Shawn
Sounds like something might be wrong with the rice? Make sure you bring the mixture to a boil before you cover and let cook. As always, make sure you cook until the rice is tender (even if it takes a little longer than 20 minutes), as all stove tops can vary in their heat settings.
KC Curry
Can this be made with Cous Cous or quinoa? Allergic to rice and not a big pasta fan.
Shawn
Yes, definitely! Just make sure you rinse the quinoa before adding!
Marilyn
Love all your recipes and enjoy reading the ‘suggestions’ others offer. THIS is going to be dinner tonight with some added beans.
Shawn
Beans are a great addition! Hope you enjoy it Marilyn!
Melissa
Judy tried this the other night, and it was a huge hit! Thanks!
Melissa
*just
Shawn
That’s awesome to hear! So glad you liked it!
Christine McCarthy
Hi!! This recipe is a staple in my home, but I’m wondering how to swap out brown rice. Do I need to adjust the liquid content and cook time? Thanks a million!
Shawn
Hi Christine, you’ll have to reduce the liquid to 1 1/2 cups of beef broth and cook until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Enjoy!
Mickey
This is excellent and easy. Everybody loves it! I make it often, I makes lots and his great leftover as well.
Shawn
We love it too! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Mickey! 🙂
Susan Zamzow
Family loved it. Only thing I added was some fiesta black beans. A+
Shawn
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Angel
Can you do this recipe with pasta?
Shawn
You could try 1 cup of small pasta (elbow or small shells) in place of the rice, and reduce the beef broth to one cup. Hope this helps!
Lily
Great, super easy recipe. I made this earlier this week for my partner and I and it’s lasted for a few days of leftovers while he’s away. It’s going to become a go-to recipe for when he goes on business trips.
Keith
love the reciepe, quick and easy mid week dinner.. I am looking for the calorie and serving size listings
KELLY SUBER
great recipe & fast!
Kayla
What can you substitute the chicken broth with or can you leave it out???
Shawn
You can use beef broth, vegetable broth or just water. Don’t leave it out or the rice wont have enough liquid to cook.
Tammy
I finally got around to trying this. I was expecting it to be a good everyday family meal. What I wasn’t expecting was just how good it was! This is certainly a keeper that will be made regularly! Thank you for yet another great meal!
Shawn
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!