Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole is an easy, cheesy, delicious ground beef skillet dinner loaded with Mexican beefy taco flavor that your whole family will love!
Mexican Beef and Rice
This is one of my family’s favorite Mexican Dinners and one of my favorites to make. Why? Because it bursting with loads of Mexican flavor, yet it has everyday ingredients, like ground beef and rice, that I almost always have on hand, and it is a one-pot meal that can be made on top of the stove in one pot for fewer dishes to wash. There is no need to heat the oven or heat up the kitchen, and I have more time to spend with my family instead of washing dishes.
It is similar to my Mexican Rice recipe I published recently but with ground beef, black beans, corn, and other ingredients, it is an entire meal instead of a side dish.
What Do I Need To Make Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole
You will need a deep, large skillet or dutch oven with a cover.
With its taco seasoned ground beef, onion, garlic, bell pepper, rice, salsa, green chilies, corn, beef broth, and black beans, it will make any Mexican Food lover’s heart go pitter-pat with happiness!
I used 80% ground beef but if you like, you could use leaner ground beef, such as 90/10.
For the corn, I used frozen corn that had been thawed. However, you could use canned corn if that is what you have on hand.
For the rice, I used long grain white rice, and that is the rice I recommend to use in this Beef and Rice Casserole, or any casserole because it will cook perfectly with the other ingredients without becoming sticky or mushy.
How Do I Control The Spice Level In This Recipe
For the salsa, I used mild red salsa. However, if you like bolder flavor, then use medium or hot salsa for a spicier casserole.
Another way to control the spice level is to make your own taco seasoning instead of using store-bought taco seasoning. In addition to controlling the heat level, it allows you to control the amount of salt in the dish as well.
How Do I Make Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole
It is really easy to make. I’ll go through step by step how to make this recipe and provide photos of each step. However, for the more detailed ingredient amounts and instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
Start by chopping the onion and bell pepper and mincing the garlic.
Then, in a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the chopped onion, and bell pepper in oil for about 5 minutes or until the onion and bell pepper are softened. Then add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
Once the onion and bell pepper are softened, add the ground beef and cook for another 5 minutes. After the ground beef is cooked, drain the extra grease.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over the cooked ground beef and stir until the ground beef is covered with the taco seasoning.
After the ground beef is seasoned and cooked, add the drained corn, black beans, salsa, tomato paste, and green chilies and stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dish.
Next, add the uncooked rice and beef broth.
Cover and bring the rice mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 18 minutes. When you remove the cover, it should like similar to the image on the right below.
Sprinkle shredded Mexican Cheese over the casserole. Cover for about 3 to 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Garnish with chopped tomatoes, green onions, or cilantro. Serve hot!
Tips For Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole
Be sure to measure all your ingredients accurately because it is very important to have the right amount of liquid to the amount of rice.
Also, don’t skip the step to bring the beef and rice to a boil first before lowering the heat. Then let it simmer while it cooks.
More Ground Beef Dinner Ideas
Ground Beef Stroganoff – This easy 30-minute Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe omits the cream of mushroom soup and uses ground beef for an awesome comfort food dinner!
Beef Enchilada Taco Boat – handheld taco boats that make a perfect meal for a big game.
Eggroll In A Bowl – is a one-skillet meal that is bursting with flavor and can be on the table in 20 minutes. It will keep everyone happy because it fits into Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Weight Watchers and Low Carb lifestyles!
Brown Sugar Meatloaf – is the best meatloaf ever! It is even better than Mom’s meatloaf with its brown sugar, onion soup mix, Worcestershire and hot sauce!
Other Beef And Rice Recipes You May Like
Beef Tips and Rice – with sauteed onions and peppers covered in a savory gravy, made in a dutch oven or crockpot, make an easy, delicious, and hearty dinner your family will love.
Porcupine Meatballs – Seasoned meatballs enriched with long grain rice cooked in my secret ingredient tomato sauce. Comfort food the whole family loves!
Taco Rice Bowl – by Life Tastes Good – On the table in just 30 minutes, this Taco Rice Bowl is perfect for a quick meal any night of the week and leftovers make for a satisfying lunch too!
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Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1/2 onion , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning (either 1 store-bought packet or homemade)
- 1-1/2 cups red salsa
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup corn , drained
- 1 (16-ounce) can black beans , drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
- 1 cup long grain white rice (uncooked)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (Cheddar, Monterrey Jack)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the chopped onion, and bell pepper in oil for about 5 minutes or until the onion and bell pepper are softened.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add the ground beef and cook for another 5 minutes. After the ground beef is cooked, drain the extra grease.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the cooked ground beef and stir until the ground beef is covered with the taco seasoning.
- After the ground beef is seasoned and cooked, add the drained corn, black beans, salsa, tomato paste, and green chilies and stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dish.
- Add the uncooked rice and beef broth.
- Cover and bring the rice mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 18 minutes.
- Sprinkle shredded Mexican Cheese over the casserole. Cover for about 3 to 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
- Garnish with chopped tomatoes, green onions, or cilantro. Serve hot!
Very good! Only change, my salsa was hot, so eliminated the green chilies. Love your blog. Consider revisiting your print option? The heading (all above ingredients) is so long that it took 2 pages to print. A new format perhaps?
Hi Evelyn, Thank you so much for commenting. I’m glad you liked the recipe and love the blog. That is a good tip about leaving out the green chilies if the salsa is too hot. I would ask if you like a recipe, please leave a rating. Thank you for the heads up on the Print Option. I will take a look at that. Have a wonderful weekend.
my husband enjoyed this recipe very much! Its definitely a keeper!
This recipe is delicious. I topped it with green onions, olives and fresh tomatoes.
Hi Rachael, I’m so happy you liked it. That is a great idea for the toppings. Happy New Year!
This was delicious! A favorite by many at our family lunch today. I had troubles getting my rice cooked, but used brown rice instead of the white you recommended. I don’t usually use anything other than instant rice, so I think I just need to learn to cook rice better. 🙂
Hi Holly, I’m so glad your family liked it. Yes, brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice. So that may have been why you had trouble getting the rice to cook. You would probably need to cook a little longer than the white rice.
I cannot have any type of beans due to gouty arthritis. Can you suggest something else? Thank You
Hi Candice,
Thanks for asking. I would recommend leaving them out all together. It will still be delicious.