This simple, easy Spanish Rice with Ground Beef skillet recipe makes a great 30-minute dinner, perfect for those nights when you need to get food on the table fast. It’s inexpensive but tasty and is a meal the whole family will love!
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I discovered this easy Spanish rice and ground beef recipe in the early days of our marriage.
Back when I was still figuring out how to cook and struggling to make our very small grocery budget work, yet determined to do it because I desperately wanted to meet our goal of paying off our mortgage in 5 years.
I grew up in a meat and potatoes kind of family that rarely ate rice, so not only was eating it somewhat new to me, I also wasn’t familiar with good recipes that used it.
But I knew that it was a frugal pantry staple and was super versatile, so I started looking for easy rice recipes that I could add to our menu and hopefully stretch our grocery budget as a result!
Why This Spanish Rice with Ground Beef Recipe Works
Simple Ingredients – Nothing fancy required! Made with staples that you probably already have in your kitchen.
Budget-Friendly – This is a super frugal recipe and you can make it even cheaper if you buy your beef and rice in bulk!
Quick & Easy – A one-pan recipe that is ready in just 30 minutes.
Kid-Friendly – Because it’s made with minimal ingredients, kids tend to love it. A great recipe for picky eaters!
Watch Video: Learn How to Make This Recipe
Spanish Rice with Beef Ingredients
- Ground Beef. You could also swap it out for ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Onion.
- Bell Pepper. This is optional but if your family likes peppers, it’s adds a nice touch of flavor.
- Salt.
- Jasmine or Long Grain Rice. Remember to always rinse your rice before cooking it!
- Black Pepper.
- Tomato Juice.
- Water.
- Shredded Cheese. We prefer sharp cheddar but regular cheddar, Mexican blend, monterey jack or colby jack all are delicious too.
How To Make This Recipe
STEP 1: Brown the ground beef, diced onion, and bell pepper in a large skillet.
STEP 2: Add salt, pepper, uncooked rice, water, and tomato juice. Stir to combine, then cover for 20 minutes to simmer. Cook just until the rice is soft and add more water if needed.
STEP 3: Sprinkle the cheese on top and allow it to sit until it’s melted. Stir it in if you prefer.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
- How to Store: Spanish beef and rice can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container. To reheat you can warm it on the stovetop or microwave it. You may need to add a little water to separate the rice.
- Using White Rice: If you chose to use regular white rice you will probably need to decrease the amount of water to 1.5 cups. I don’t recommend using brown rice.
- Want more flavor? Add a little chili powder, cumin or garlic.
More Easy Main Dish Recipes You’ll Love
- Sour Cream Chicken Skillet Enchiladas
- Easy Mexican Rice Bowls
- One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Easy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
- Crockpot Tamale Pie
Easy Spanish Rice with Hamburger
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/2 c. diced bell pepper optional
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 c. Jasmine or long grain rice, uncooked
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 2 c. tomato juice
- 2 c. water
- 1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown meat, onion and bell pepper.
- Add remaining ingredients, except cheese. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is soft. Add more water if needed.
- Top with cheese and let sit until melted. (You can also stir the cheese into the rice if you prefer.)
DeeA
This was SO good! I made it almost as written, except I didn’t have tomato juice so I used a can of mild Rotel and I left out the peppers (didn’t have them). It was an absolute hit with my husband, who typically does not like one pan/skillet dishes. He had two servings! Will definitely make this again!
Lydia Beiler
I love hearing this! Always a success when a recipe can convert a spouse that isn’t often a fan of that kind of dish. Also, I like how you were creative and used what you had to make it work.
Jana
I made this last night for my family and we all loved it! I used a packet of mild taco seasoning and added some black pepper, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. Super easy, definitely will make this again!
Lydia Beiler
The taco seasoning would be a tasty addition, Jana! So happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
Julie Prins
Thanks for this idea! I already had two soup leftovers, and I couldn’t think of anything but soup to make out of the tomato juice leftovers. This looks perfect!
Lydia Beiler
I hope you enjoy it, Julie!
Angela Schaefer
Absolutely fantastic!!
Lydia Beiler
So happy that you like it, Angela!
Kendall
I only had brown rice so I used none of the water in this recipe and followed everything else as directed and it turned out delicious! Thank you!
Lydia Beiler
That’s good to know, Kendall! Am I understanding that you didn’t use any water at all? I always thought that you had to use more water when you used brown rice, so I’m intrigued!