My One-Pan Dinner Hero
Weeknight chaos, two hungry kids, and exactly one clean skillet left in the cabinet—that’s the scene that created this Mexican Beef & Rice Skillet. After 5 years of having this on our dinner rotation, I can confidently say you’ll love it too:
- One pan, 30 minutes, zero stress – perfect for the ‘what’s for dinner’ panic moment.
- Family-friendly taco flavors – even my picky tots ask for seconds.
- Budget-friendly pantry staples (ground beef + rice + salsa)
- Meal prep approved – leftovers reheat like a dream for next day burrito bowls.
Need more healthy mexican recipes with ground beef? Try one pot taco pasta, sweet potato beef taco skillet, or Instant Pot taco soup next!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
This recipe keeps things simple with ingredients you probably already have:
- Ground beef – sub for ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Long grain white rice – or brown rice. Instant works (see FAQs).
- Black beans – Adds fiber and protein (swap for kidney beans if preferred).
- Bell peppers & onion – Classic Mexican flavors and a little crunch.
- Taco seasoning – Store-bought is easiest but you can use homemade with basic spices (see recipe card notes)
- Salsa – Adds moisture and flavor; use chunky mild or hot, depending on preference.
- Beef broth – Adds depths, but water works in a pinch.
Love weeknight Mexican recipes? You’ll love chorizo tacos, Birria tacos, and Mexican shredded beef.
Ways to Serve It
✔ As is – Enjoy it straight from the skillet for a simple meal!
🌮 Taco filling – Stuff it into tortillas for easy beef & rice tacos.
🥗 Bowl meal – Serve over lettuce or rice with avocado, cheese, and lime.
🧀 Nacho topper – Load onto tortilla chips with melted cheese for loaded nachos!
🌯 Burritos – Wrap it in a tortilla with cheese and sour cream.
Love one pot meals? Try this one pot spanish chicken and rice, one skillet lemon chicken orzo, or one pan creamy chicken and gnocchi next!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me with @what_mollymade so I can see it and feature you.
Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 bell pepper any color, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef I used 93% lean
- 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning I like Siete (see notes for homemade taco seasoning)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup mild salsa
- 1 (15oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15oz) can corn drained
- 1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese optional
- Toppings: sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime juice, cilantro lime ranch, cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Saute the veggies (4 min): Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and pepper and stir until soft and onions are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- Brown the beef (5 min): Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and no pink remains. Next add the taco seasoning and water and cook until thickened.1 pound ground beef
- Simmer & cover (20 min): Stir in the black beans, corn, uncooked rice and beef broth until combined. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Open the lid to stir a few times so the bottom doesn’t burn.1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup mild salsa, 1 (15oz) can black beans, 1 (15oz) can corn, 1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain white rice, 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
- Melt the cheese (2 min): If using the cheese, open the lid and sprinkle the top with cheese then close the lid and remove from the heat and let sit for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese
- Top with avocado, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice or cilantro lime ranch if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
Yes—reduce simmer to 10 minutes and start with 1 3/4 cups broth (add more if needed as it simmers)
Nope! Brown it with a drizzle of olive oil to boost moisture.
All ingredients are naturally GF—double-check your broth and seasoning labels to be sure.
Skip the cheese melt at the end or use a vegan shred alternative. This skillet is packed with flavor with or without!
Recipe by: Molly Thompson of What Molly Made | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
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So good my entire family had seconds and I have crazy picky kids and husband. And my son woke up the next morning excited to eat the leftovers for lunch.
I am curious about the serving size? You list 1g… I’m not use to measuring like this can you help with measuring with a cup?
Thank you
Serving size says 1g and 404 cal. 1 g is 0.035 ounces! Surely this is a misprint? Please advise as a portion normally is half a cup. Half a cup would be astronomically high in calories and carbs. Thank you.
I stuff bell peppers with this recipe and it’s so good
Excellent recipe! My family loved it. Quick question? How many cups in a serving size? I’m working with a nutritionist and I have to log and reach nutrition goals.
Honestly, not beginner friendly. I followed the recipe to a tee, yet there was still liquid in the skillet and the rice wasn’t fully cooked. I had to keep tampering with the heat. Next time maybe specify if instant rice or regular rice was used.
Easy and delicious!
Two of our favorites things in a recipe!
Making for the fifth time in two months for dinner tonight. We love this. So easy, so quick, so handy to have in the freezer. Win-win. And my guess is that most picky eaters would enjoy this. Pro tip: Always eat this with avocado or guacamole. And we always put lots of pepper jack cheese on top.
This makes me so happy!! Sounds incredible!
I’ve cooked this recipe tons of times now and we love it!! Full of flavor!!!