Julie Clark
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Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
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The ultimate in comfort food: Our Spanish rice with ground beef recipe is perfectly seasoned, packed with flavor, and ready in 35 minutes. It’s an easy skillet dinner that’s ideal for busy weeknights.
About our Spanish Rice with Ground Beef Recipe:
Spanish rice was one of my mom’s go-to meals when I was younger. It brought our family around the table and I’m sharing it today for your family, too!
This one-skillet Spanish Rice recipe is an easy, stove top meal that brings together lean ground beef, fluffy rice, tomatoes, and veggies for that familiar, comforting flavor many of us grew up with.
It’s got the cozy vibe of our Texas hash and the simplicity of hamburger gravy and creamy chicken and rice. The bold spices, like chili powder and cumin, pair well with the tangy tomatoes. And cleanup is easy since everything cooks in just one pan.
Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
The ultimate in comfort food: Spanish rice with ground beef recipe. Perfectly seasoned, packed with flavor, and ready in 35 minutes.
Servings 6
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 box Zatarain's yellow rice mix 6.9 ounces
- 1 onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz , undrained
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the diced onion and green pepper to the skillet and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Add the Zatarain’s yellow rice mix and water to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the rice is cooked, stir everything together in the skillet.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Add some protein-rich beans, such as black beans or kidney beans, to the recipe for a more filling and nutritious meal.
- Use leftovers as a taco filling for lunch the next day!
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 591mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 4mg
Ingredients in Spanish Rice
- I used Zatarain’s yellow rice mix that comes in a box. An alternative is Rice a Roni boxes of rice.
- Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey, chicken, or pork. However, they have a milder flavor and they won’t provide the same depth of flavor to the recipe.
- For extra spice, a can of Rotel may be substituted for the regular can of diced tomatoes.
- Use chicken broth instead of water to add more flavor.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
How to Make Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
There are 6 simple steps for making this recipe.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the diced onion and green pepper to the skillet and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Add the Zatarain’s yellow rice mix and water to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
This is what it should look like once the liquid is absorbed:
Top the dish with some freshly snipped herbs, such as cilantro or parsley, to add some freshness and color.
Make it a meal.
You can serve this Spanish rice as an easy main dish, but the whole family loves it as a side dish, too.
Try serving with:
- Baked Salsa Chicken
- Oven Roasted Corn with Chili Butter
- Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
- Serve over a baked potato and add cheddar cheese, salsa verde or guacamole as a topping.
- Serve with a side of tortilla chips and scoop up the rice with each bite of tortilla.
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Can the Spanish rice be repaired, put into a foil pan and be frozen as a freezer meal and taken out and baked at later time. I’m am looking for good freezer meals to have on hand.