Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet – An Easy 30 Minute Weeknight Dinner

When the kids head back to school and schedules suddenly become packed with practices, homework and after-school activities, having a few easy weeknight dinner recipes can be a lifesaver. And that is exactly where this Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet comes in handy.

It has all of the flavors of classic beef tacos, but instead of filling individual taco shells, everything cooks together in one skillet. Ground beef, rice, tomatoes, corn and taco seasoning simmer together before a layer of melted cheese finishes it off.

Best of all, there is very little cleanup required. Other than a cutting board and knife for the onion, you only need one large skillet to prepare the entire meal.

And because the rice cooks right in the skillet, there is no need to make it separately. The rice absorbs the seasoned cooking liquid as it cooks, giving it plenty of flavor.

It is exactly the type of recipe that comes in handy during the busy back-to-school season when you need to get dinner on the table without spending all evening in the kitchen.

Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet

One of the reasons that I love this recipe is because it uses basic ingredients that you can easily keep on hand.

Ground beef serves as the base of the meal. I typically use lean ground beef, although you can certainly use whatever variety that you prefer.

You can even substitute ground turkey or ground chicken if you are looking for a lighter option.

Then you will need a small onion and a packet of taco seasoning. Although you can use a store-bought packet, I often use my homemade taco seasoning instead.

Next comes the rice. For this recipe, it is important to use standard long-grain white rice. Avoid using instant rice or quick-cooking rice because the amount of liquid and cooking time will be different.

The uncooked rice goes directly into the skillet and cooks with the other ingredients.

An Easy One-Skillet Dinner

Begin by placing a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

As the beef cooks, break it apart into small crumbles with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Once the beef has cooked through, drain off any excess grease if necessary. Then add the taco seasoning and stir until the meat is well coated.

At this point you are ready to turn the ground beef into a complete meal.

Add a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained corn, uncooked rice and beef broth to the skillet. Be sure not to drain the tomatoes. The liquid in the can is needed to help cook the rice.

Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.

Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid.

Let The Rice Cook

Allow the taco rice mixture to simmer for approximately 18-20 minutes.

Try not to remove the lid several times to check on the rice. Every time you lift the lid, steam escapes and the temperature inside the skillet drops.

Instead, check it for the first time at around the 18-minute mark.

The rice should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed. If the rice is still a little firm, replace the lid and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.

If the mixture looks dry but the rice isn’t quite tender, add a small splash of broth before replacing the lid.

Once the rice is cooked, remove the skillet from the heat.

Don’t Forget The Cheese!

Now comes the ingredient that takes this taco rice skillet to the next level – cheese!

Sprinkle shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese evenly over the top of the rice mixture.

Then place the lid back on the skillet for 2-3 minutes. There is no need to turn the burner back on. The residual heat inside the skillet will melt the cheese.

When you remove the lid, you will have a hot and cheesy taco-inspired dinner ready to serve.

And now comes the fun part – adding the toppings!

Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet Toppings

Just like traditional tacos, everyone can customize their own serving with their favorite toppings.

At our house, I like to put several small bowls of toppings on the table and let everyone add whatever they like.

Some of my favorite toppings include:

• Sour cream
• Diced avocado
• Guacamole
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced green onions
• Jalapeño slices
• Salsa
• Hot sauce
• Fresh cilantro
• Crushed tortilla chips

Adding crushed tortilla chips is especially good because it adds a little crunch to each bite.

It is also a great way to use up the broken chips left at the bottom of a tortilla chip bag!

Make It Your Own

Another great thing about this easy weeknight dinner is how simple it is to adapt based on what you have in your kitchen.

For example, you can add a drained and rinsed can of black beans along with the corn. This makes the meal even more filling and can help stretch a pound of ground beef even further.

You can also leave the corn out entirely or substitute a can of drained pinto beans.

For a little more heat, use hot diced tomatoes with green chiles or add a diced jalapeño when cooking the onion and ground beef.

And if your family prefers things on the mild side, use plain diced tomatoes instead.

A Great Back-To-School Dinner

Although you can make this recipe any time of the year, it is especially useful once school begins and everyone’s schedule gets busy again.

From start to finish, dinner can be on the table in about 30 minutes. And because everything cooks in one skillet, cleanup is just as easy.

It is also a hearty meal on its own, so you don’t necessarily need to prepare a bunch of side dishes.

However, if you want to serve something alongside it, tortilla chips and salsa make an easy choice. A simple side salad or sliced fresh vegetables are other good options.

Most importantly, this is one of those easy dinner recipes that uses ingredients you can keep stocked in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

Keep a pound of ground beef in the freezer and rice, taco seasoning, canned tomatoes and corn in the pantry and you will always have the ingredients for a quick dinner when you need one.

And during the busy back-to-school season, having an easy meal like this ready to go can make weeknight dinners a whole lot easier.

If you love easy one-pan meals like this one, be sure to try my Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet. It is another quick ground beef dinner that can be on the table in about 30 minutes.

Enjoy! Mary

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