One pan taco rice skillet is a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table. It has maximum flavor with minimal dirty dishes!
One pan dinners are among my favorite ways to get supper on the table. This taco rice version takes very little prep and you are rewarded with a hearty Tex-Mex meal. It’s a great busy night meal and the leftovers are fabulous too.
My one pan BBQ pulled pork rice skillet supper is always popular. It’s a hit at our dinner table and a hit with people who have tried the recipe in their own homes.
Usually I have a fair amount of leftover pulled pork in the freezer, so whipping some up isn’t a problem. This year I seem to be finding myself in a pulled pork shortage.
So I thought I’d create some new spins on that basic idea. This taco inspired version is one of our new favorites.
It is a simple and economical way to turn a pound of ground beef and some rice into a great family meal. It comes together quickly and will get gobbled up.
Carlee’s Tips and Tricks
I like using either an enameled cast iron braiser or a deep nonstick saute pan with lid for this kind of skillet meal. Both hold plenty of volume and clean up easily. A 12″ cast iron skillet would work as well, but cleanup is a bit more finicky.
I used seeded and ribbed jalapenos for the peppers for flavor. It hardly had any heat, so I wish I hadn’t cleaned them so well.
If you are worried about the heat, just use a bell pepper or a few smaller sweet peppers instead.
Email Me The Recipe
I'll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
You can sub in your favorite beans if you don’t have or don’t like black beans. Or leave them out altogether if you prefer.
Feel free to stir in some corn if you’d like. It is a fabulous addition, but my husband prefers it without.
Ground turkey or venison would be great substitutions for the ground beef. Or leftover carnitas or barbacoa would be delicious as well.
Serving Suggestions
I ate mine as is. My husband loaded his in a tortilla with additional jalapenos, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.
Serve with a small green salad, or on top of a salad!
Serve with avocado black bean salad or roasted salsa and tortilla chips.
Use your favorite taco toppings. We enjoyed fresh tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro. Guacamole, taco sauce, chives, onions or additional salsa would be great as well.
One Pan Taco Rice Skillet Meal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey or venison
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 jalapenos seeded and diced (or 1 bell pepper)
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 cups water
- 14 ounce can black beans drained
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Your favorite toppings
Instructions
- In a large skillet with a lid, cook 1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion and 2 jalapenos over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent.
- Add the 1 package taco seasoning and 1 cup long grain rice. Stir to coat everything with the seasoning and let the rice toast for a minute or two.
- Add the 1 cup salsa and 2 cups water, bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir it about 15 minutes in and add additional water if necessary.
- Stir in 14 ounce can black beans.
- Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese over the top, cover and let melt for a minute or two.
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings.
Email Me The Recipe
I’ll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
Did you try this recipe?
Don’t forget to leave a rating below and make sure to follow on Pinterest and Instagram for more!
Get social!
Recipes in your inbox
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! My husband said it’s definitely a keeper! Leftovers may be in a tortilla wrap.
That would be fabulous!
I made this for dinner today, I added corn and red beans, served it in a bowl with sour cream on top, sides were sliced cukes with oil and vinegar, corn muffin. It was very tasty, Thank you for the recipe 🙂
That sounds like a fabulous meal!
We didn’t have any black beans, but I did add a drained can of corn. My parents had it in bowls. My nephew and I had it in soft tortillas, burrito style. I wish that I had thought of adding some sour cream to the tortillas, like I do with tacos.
For those not watching sodium intake, I HIGHLY recommend seasoning the beef and then again after the rice has cooked.
My husband likes to eat it in a tortilla as well. I do the bowls. And yes to the sour cream next time!
I did this tonight! Although, I didn’t have salsa, I ended up using corn and sour cream to mix in it. & and I chopped up peppers and onions to top with, and melted queso! It was DELICIOUS and even the kids loved it.
My hubby crushed up tortillas and topped with.
If we had some I would have even added taco sauce.
YAY! I am so glad you liked it!
Hi Carlee, I just wanted to let you know that followed this recipe yesterday and it went down a treat. It was so quick and easy to throw together it was the sort of dinner I was in the mood to prepare after a busy day…. I cooked it in the wok which worked lovely and I have since dug out the cast iron pot and am re-seasoning it as I type.
xx
YAYYYYY! I am so glad you enjoyed it!!
I love one pan meals and this one sounds like one that my family will really like. Thanks for sharing the recipe and enjoy the rest of your Summer.
It's a family pleaser for sure! Thank you!
Hi Carlee, just reading this post has reminded me that I need to eat!… Life is a littel busy at the moment and this sort of meal will go down a treat. I will betrying it soon… I also keep meaning to dig out my cast iron pot too. We have a love/hate relationship. I hate it as it's big and heavy, but I love it too just because it holds so much.
xx
Eating is something I rarely forget to do 😉 But I do hear you, life has been busy lately. Cast iron is really heavy, but so nice too!
My people will devour this! YUM!
As they should!
One pan skillet meals are one of my favs for weeknights, this is so delicious and perfect!
One pan to clean is totally my style!