This taco rice is a hearty, delicious, one-pan meal that you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes! It’s loaded with beef, rice, corn, taco seasoning, and pepper jack cheese. It’s the perfect go-to when you need a quick easy meal on a hectic weeknight plus, clean-ups are a breeze because there is only one pan to clean.
I like to serve this with some shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes on top to round out this for a complete meal. The kids love this and ask for it regularly. Since it’s so beefy and hearty, even hubby is happy!
If you love easy, family-friendly dinners like this, be sure to check out my full collection of ground beef recipes, or try my Mexican beef and rice skillet, one pot burrito bowl, or chili mac next.
Taco Rice Ingredients
- Ground Beef: I like the flavor of 80/20 ground beef but you can use a leaner blend if you prefer. This is also delicious with ground turkey or chicken, just heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet before adding the turkey or chicken.
- Onion: I use yellow onion but a white onion will work equally as well.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic not the stuff in the jar. The jarred stuff is preserved with citric and phosphoric acid, which stabilizes the garlic for grocery store shelves and completely changes the taste.
- Taco Seasoning: I use mild to keep the spice level friendly for kids.
- Southwest Corn With Poblano And Red Peppers: This one can of veggies packs tons of south-of-the-border flavor. Be sure to drain it before adding.
- Tomato Soup: This adds great tomato flavor with added sweetness and less acidity than regular tomato sauce.
- Chicken Broth: I use Swansons.
- Rice: This recipe is written for long-grain white rice.
- Pepper Jack Cheese: I love the flavor this cheese brings to the dish. Some brands can be spicy so, if you want to be on the safe side for kids’ palates, use a plain jack or even cheddar cheese instead.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Will This Last In The Fridge: Place leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the fridge. You can always divvy it up into single-serve portions to prep for weekday lunches or toss it all in a gallon-sized Ziploc to save space. This can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can This Be Frozen: This freezes well. When you reheat, you might need to add 1-2 tablespoons of chicken broth. The rice can dry out a bit during the freezing process. This will last in the freezer for 4 months.
- Make-Ahead: You can chop the onions and store them so they’re ready to go.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out these links for refrigeration and freezing.
Optional Topping Ideas
As I said above, I like to top this taco rice skillet with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. Sour cream, guacamole, extra shredded cheese, and crumbled tortilla chips are also delicious!
What to Serve with Taco Rice
This is a complete meal but I like to serve this with jalapeno cornbread, charro beans, and, or my KFC coleslaw!
How to Make Taco Rice With Ground Beef
- Brown the ground beef.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
- Saute the onion. Add garlic.
- Stir in taco seasoning, canned southwest corn, tomato soup, and chicken broth. Stir.
- Stir in rice and ground meat. Cover and simmer. Stir.
- Turn the stovetop off, and sprinkle the top with cheese. Let it melt.
- Serve with optional toppings.
See full instructions below.
More Yummy Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Taco Rice
This taco rice is a hearty, one-pan meal that is ready in less than 30 minutes! It's loaded with beef, rice, corn, taco seasoning, and pepper jack cheese.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (1 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
- 1 (15.25 ounce) can Southwest corn with poblano and red peppers, well drained
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup rice, uncook
- 1 1/2 cups cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
Optional Toppings:
- sour cream, avocado or guacamole, fresh chopped tomatoes, cilantro, green onions
Instructions
- In a large high-sided skillet, brown and crumble ground beef (1 pound) until there is no longer any pink. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet. If there aren't 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet, add vegetable oil to the skillet to make up the difference.
- Add the onion (1/2 cup) to the skillet and sauté until translucent. Add garlic (3 cloves) and continue to sauté until garlic is fragrant about 1 minute.
- Stir in taco seasoning (1 envelope), Southwest corn with poblano and red peppers (1 can), condensed tomato soup (1 can), and chicken broth (2 cups). Stir until smooth.
- Stir in rice (1 cup) and ground meat. Place a tight-fitting lid on the skillet and simmer on low until rice is tender about 15-20 minutes. Stir everything one more time.
- Turn the stove-top off, sprinkle top with shredded cheese (1 to 1 1/2 cups), place the lid back on, and let sit until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
- Serve with optional toppings.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 778kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 993mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 326IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 363mg | Iron: 3mg
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Made two pots last night….one with meat, one with black beans. Topped with shredded spinach, tomatoes, crushed spicy jalapeño kettle chips, sour cream, and Taco Bell chipotle.
This recipe was a hit! Simple and delicious 😋
OMG, me and my sister devoured this!
So happy to hear that Maya! My fam did the same thing!!! <3