Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice Skillet

Get a meal on the table in 20 minutes with my Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice Skillet! It’s quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner and uses simple ingredients, like rice, ground beef, veggies, and seasonings.

To stretch this meal I like to add a garden salad or even a zesty wedge salad on the side. Garlic bread goes with everything in my opinion, but it’s a totally optional side for this dish.

Tex Mex Flavor in a One Pan Meal

One of our favorite meals around here is Fried Rice. My kids will literally jump for joy when I make it. This Tex-Mex version is a play off of Pioneer Woman’s recipe and I wasn’t sure if they would like it, but even my pickiest had two servings. My mom, who happened to be joining us, doesn’t like bell peppers but loved them in this dish. This one pan skillet meal is definitely a crowd pleaser!

Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice Recipe

I opted to use ready cooked rice that I grabbed at the grocery store so I didn’t have to cook any. However when planning to make something like this I would usually use leftover rice. Either one would work, or you could cook some up just for this dish if you don’t mind washing another pot.

I topped the rice with fresh parsley and lime juice. If you’re a fan of cilantro I imagine it would be great – I just happen to be not be a fan. The lime juice is a must though; it offers a burst of brightness and freshness that perfectly rounds out the dish.

How to Make Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice

Ground beef and Rice skillet is such an easy recipe to make and it’s practically impossible to screw up. You can swap out veggies for what you have on hand, add beans, or even swap in ground turkey for the beef.

1. Heat some oil in a large skillet and add in some ground beef, chopped onion, garlic and bell peppers. Break up the ground beef with a spatula as it cooks, and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the veggies are tender. I use ground sirloin and it’s very lean so there isn’t a ton of grease left behind.
2. Stir in corn and cooked rice with the ground beef, then turn up the heat and and add seasonings like cumin, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. For the rice, i almost always have extra cooked rice in my freezer. If you don’t you can grab a box of precooked or make it yourself (it only takes 20 minutes). Don’t add uncooked rice to the skillet.
3. Turn off the heat and squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice. Offer more lime wedges with each serving of Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice and garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.

Top Tips and Variations

• If you don’t want to use instant or precooked rice, go ahead and cook your own. I recommend using a long grain or jasmine rice for this. And definitely invest in a rice cooker. It takes all the guesswork out of cooking rice.
• Add extra protein or make this a vegetarian Tex Mex dish, by using black beans in place of ground beef. Drain them well, and stir them in with the corn and rice. Simmer with a 1/4 cup of water to help the seasonings mix well.
• Ground Beef and Rice is a simple recipe that uses easy to find and pantry ingredients. If you don’t have fresh bell pepper, add drained and rinsed black beans or other veggies you do have.
• Brown rice works great in place of the white rice.

Leftover Tex Mex Ground Beef and Rice

Store leftover ground beef and rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave. You may need to add a little bit of water to help the rice from drying out.

This is also a great freezable dish. Place cooled ground beef and rice in a freezer bag or container, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge and heat on the stovetop with a little water.

Easy Family Meals

If you’re in need of some easy family meals that don’t require a lot of difficult ingredients or steps, check out our round up of Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes! There are lots of favorites that have the same Tex Mex flavors as this Ground Beef and Rice, like Healthy Chicken Fajita Bowls, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and White Chicken Chili.

For even more Tex Mex flavor, we have Southwest Air Fryer Egg Rolls, Southwestern Seven Layer Dip and Chicken & Black Bean Baked Tacos.

Tex Mex Beef & Rice Skillet

Kristin

An easy one skillet dish using simple ingredients, this Tex Mex ground beef and rice is a family favorite.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 22 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 713 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 cups pre-cooked rice
• 1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
• 2 bell peppers red, yellow or orange, diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons or more to taste Worcestershire
• Juice of two limes
• Cilantro or fresh parsley if desired for garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of canola oil and let it get hot. Crumble ground beef into the skillet and add diced onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
• Stir in corn and heat through.
• Turn heat up to medium-high and stir in rice, cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and juice one lime over the rice and stir.
• Divide into bowls and garnish with cilantro or parsley and a squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

Feel free to make substitutions and swaps:

• Cook your own rice instead of buying precooked.
• Swap ground turkey or even black beans for the beef. 
• Use frozen veggies if you don't have fresh.

Nutrition

Calories: 713kcalCarbohydrates: 113gProtein: 28gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 683mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1648IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg

Keyword ground beef and rice

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