Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
Servings 4 servings
Calories 623kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (lean)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or 1 tsp jarred minced garlic)
- 1 cup white rice (jasmine or long grain, uncooked)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14-15 ounce can, don't drain)
- 1 chili powder (up to 2 tsp, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or whatever you have)
Optional but good
- 1/2 cup corn, black beans, or chili beans (don't drain chili beans)
- A handful of spinach at the end
- Sour cream, sliced green onion, or avocado for topping
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Add the diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the uncooked rice, beef broth, diced tomatoes (with juice), corn or beans if using, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir it all together.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and reduce heat. Let it simmer for about 15–18 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top, cover again for a minute or two until melted (I like to mix the cheese in, but you can leave it on top if you prefer).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- If your rice isn’t quite done, add a splash of broth and give it a few more minutes, it’ll soften right up.
- Cold, straight-from-the-fridge ingredients (like leftover cooked beef) can slow things down a bit, just give it a little extra cooking time.
- This is a good place to use whatever you have in the pantry, corn, black beans, chili beans, or even a handful of spinach at the end all work well.
- Taste it before serving. Sometimes it just needs a pinch of salt or a little extra chili powder to bring everything together.
- It’s great topped with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), sliced green onion, or even fresh green lettuce.
- You can also roll this up in a tortilla for a “burrito-style” dinner or spoon it over chips and have loaded nachos.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1091mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 4mg