One-Pot Cheesy Mexican Rice with Ground Beef
Packed with seasoned ground beef, tender rice, and loads of gooey cheese, this dish brings bold Mexican-inspired flavors to your table in under an hour.
Equipment
- Medium 3.5 quart braiser with lid or 12-inch oven-safe skillet with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, browned, crumbled, and well drained
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
- ½ cup diced orange or red bell pepper (1 medium bell pepper)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
- 1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 10 ounce can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, undrained
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add ground beef. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until no longer pink, then drain excess fat. (See Tips 1 and 2)
- Rinse and dry the pan. Heat olive oil in a medium braiser or large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. (See Tip 3)
- Add cooked beef, rice, salt, light brown sugar, chicken broth, undrained Rotel tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. (See Tips 4 and 5)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sprinkle mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (See Tip 6)
- Rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish as desired and serve.
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings. (See Tip 7)
Video
Tips/Notes
- I know that some would disagree with this, but after I transfer the cooked ground beef to a colander, I rinse it well with hot water to remove as much grease as possible. While this does remove some flavor, the real flavor of the casserole comes from the other added ingredients.
- After the cooked beef cools a bit, I like to crumble it between the palms of my hands. This improves the overall consistency of the casserole.
- Because oregano, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper are oil-soluble, their flavor is enhanced if allowed to "bloom." Therefore, I add the oregano, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper when I add the garlic, and cook the mixture until fragrant. It only takes 30 seconds to a minute for the spices to "bloom."
- I like to place a paper towel on the pan before putting the lid on. The reason is that as the casserole cooks, it produces condensation. The paper towel traps the condensation, preventing it from falling back into the pan. This helps to minimize mushy rice.
- The casserole can be made in advance up to this point.
- For the maximum cheese pull effect, sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese first, followed by the Monterey Jack cheese. Mozzarella cheese produces a more dramatic cheese pull effect.
- Leftovers are excellent. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 27gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1021mgPotassium: 657mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 975IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 241mgIron: 4mg
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