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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes

    One-Pan Ground Beef and Rice

    Published: May 12, 2023 Updated: May 12, 2023 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 6 Comments

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    Ground beef and rice in a pan garnished with chopped tomatoes and green onion.

    This recipe for ground beef and rice is an easy weekday go-to when you want something satisfying but with minimal effort. Aside from the savoury ground beef and rice, it has lots of flavourful spices, veggies and black beans. Talk about delicious!

    Ground beef and rice in a pan garnished with chopped tomatoes and green onion.

    Just like this recipe for ground chicken and rice, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this one-pan ground beef and rice recipe lately … and for good reason! It’s super easy to prepare, tastes so freaking scrumptious and it’s made in one pan for fuss-free cleanup (yay for less dishes to wash!).

    This recipe tastes really yummy, but what I especially enjoy about it is that you can totally garnish to taste with your favourite toppings. I like to use chopped tomatoes and green onion, but the options are pretty much endless (don’t worry, I got you, there are some topping ideas below). I tend to stick towards toppings that I would often put on tacos because it goes really well with the seasoning in the dish.

    How fun would it be to make a little garnish station and let everyone top their bowl how they like it?

    Ingredients

    • Olive oil
    • Ground beef: I used lean ground beef. If you use a fattier version, just drain the beef of excess grease after it has cooked.
    • Veggies: Yellow onion, garlic and corn.
    • Rice: I used white basmati rice. Make sure you rinse your rice well before cooking to remove all that excess surface starch (which means fluffier rice).
    • Canned Black Beans: Rinse and drain before using.
    • Salsa: Chunky salsa works great in this recipe. Use your favourite variety.
    • Butter: Helps add a little richness to the dish.
    • Seasoning: Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper all add tons of flavour.
    • Beef broth: I used a reduced sodium variety.

    How To Make It

    Here is an overview of how to make this one-pan ground beef and rice recipe (full details are in the recipe card below):

    1. In a large sauté pan, cook the ground beef in a little olive oil.
    2. Add the onion and garlic, and then cook until the onion has softened.
    3. Add the rice, black beans, corn, salsa, butter and seasoning. Give it a nice stir, then pour in the beef broth and stir again.
    4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid has absorbed and the rice is cooked. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes before fluffing the rice.
    Collage of steps to make a one-pan ground beef and rice recipe.

    How To Serve It

    I usually serve this one-pan ground beef and rice recipe on its own with some toppings, like chopped tomatoes and green onion. Other yummy toppings are:

    • Guacamole or diced avocado
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Pickled red onion
    • Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeno peppers
    • Shredded cheddar cheese
    • Shredded lettuce
    • Sour cream
    • Hot sauce

    If you want to mix things up, try serving the ground beef and rice in flour tortillas as a burrito or enjoy as tacos with hard taco shells. Alternatively, serve it with lettuce leaves (like Boston lettuce) as lettuce wraps or with tortilla chips for scooping.

    Heck, I’ve even enjoyed this ground beef and rice skillet with a fried egg for breakfast (such a hearty meal).

    Ground beef and rice in a black bowl with a spoon.

    Tips and Variations

    • The rice: I used white basmati rice, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. You can use another variety if you prefer, just pick something with a similar cook time. Jasmine or white rice are yummy options.
    • Add more veg: Add more colour and flavour to this ground beef and rice recipe by mixing in some diced bell pepper when you add the corn.
    • Add more spice: When adding the salsa, mix in a can of diced green chilies, a splash or two of your favourite hot sauce or some minced chipotles in adobo sauce. And, of course, the variety of salsa you use will impact how spicy this ground beef skillet is.
    • Mix up the protein: Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken or your favourite plant-based beef crumbles. If using another protein in this skillet, you may want to use chicken or veggie broth instead of beef broth.
    • Try another bean: Instead of canned black beans try canned pinto beans.
    Hand holding a spoon, scooping up some rice and ground beef from a bowl.

    More Yummy Ground Beef Recipes

    • Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
    • Ground Beef Stroganoff
    • Ground Beef Stir-Fry

    If you make this easy one-pan ground beef and rice recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

    Ground beef and rice in a pan garnished with chopped tomatoes and green onion.

    One-Pan Ground Beef and Rice

    Dawn | Girl Heart Food
    This recipe for ground beef and rice is an easy weekday go-to when you want something satisfying but with minimal effort. Aside from the savoury ground beef and rice, it has lots of flavourful spices, veggies and black beans. Talk about delicious!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Resting Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 6 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup canned corn kernels
    • 1 cup chunky salsa
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 cups beef broth, I used a reduced sodium variety
    • Chopped grape or cherry tomatoes, garnish to taste
    • Chopped green onion, garnish to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks and stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
    • Add the onion and garlic to the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
    • To the pan, add the rice, black beans, corn, salsa, butter, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine, then stir in the beef broth.
    • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed and the rice is cooked.
      Note: If the rice needs a tad longer cooking time, that's okay, just continue to cook (if it needs a little more broth, you can add more as necessary).
    • Once cooked, turn off the heat and let sit (covered) for 5 minutes. Then give everything a nice stir to fluff the rice.
    • Garnish with tomatoes and green onion. Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    Keep in mind that the spicier the salsa you use, the spicier this recipe will be. if you are using a spicy salsa, you may want to omit the cayenne pepper.
    When cooking this recipe, it is important that it’s gently simmering. You want the rice to cook and the liquid to absorb, but you don’t want to burn the rice.

    A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.

    Keyword beef and rice skillet, ground beef recipe, one pan recipe

    Tried this recipe?

    If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

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    © Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. David @ Spiced

      May 24, 2023 at 9:20 am

      5 stars
      Oh, this recipe definitely got my attention! I love ground beef, and you’ve added all of the best ingredients that go with beef. I’m thinking I need to use that filling in a quesadilla…along with a whole bunch of cheese, of course!

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        May 25, 2023 at 9:07 pm

        Yay, happy to hear it! Thanks so much, David! I bet it would be delicious used as a quesadilla filling along with plenty of cheese (such a yummy idea).

        Reply
    2. Joanne

      May 23, 2023 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      Made this recipe and was delicious! So easy to assemble and very tasty quick meal to put together so will definitely be putting it in our meal rotation list!

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        May 23, 2023 at 5:46 pm

        Thank you very much, Joanne!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!!

        Reply
    3. Michelle

      May 17, 2023 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      Such a great healthy one-pot meal, perfect for those hectic weeknights! Love the flavours from the cumin and paprika — extra spicy salsa for my bowl, please!

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        May 25, 2023 at 9:06 pm

        It sure is a satisfying meal, perfect for those busy days! I love spicy salsa too. Thanks, Michelle!

        Reply

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