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One Pan Taco Rice (+Video)

This easy, one pan Taco Rice recipe is a whole meal in one. Ground beef, taco seasonings, salsa, rice and cheese. A family favorite meal!

AN ENTIRE MEAL IN ONE PAN

If there is one item I always tell new cooks to keep in their pantry – is rice. Especially quick-cooking rice like Minute Rice. It can be pulled out and added or mixed with so many other meals and it’s easy to get creative with. It beefs up meal time to make it more filling and you can add just about any flavor to it. Note: brown rice is totally acceptable in this recipe.

closeup photo of fully cooked Taco Rice in the skillet.

WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH TACO RICE?

I love my Mom’s Spanish Rice, so I figured, why not a taco version? And let me tell you, this turned out crazy good! It also made for awesome leftovers. I topped it with lettuce and tomato and later added a dollop of sour cream but that’s not necessary to make this taste outstanding. This would make a great filling for burritos too and it can be made meatless! You could also substitute with ground pork or turkey if you prefer. Or serve it as a side to my favorite Layered Taco Bake or Mexican Lasagna!

a large spoon scooping up a serving of Taco Rice over a skillet.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • ground beef
  • taco seasoning
  • water
  • Minute Rice
  • salsa
  • shredded cheddar cheese
ground beef, taco seasoning, water, Minute Rice, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese.

HOW TO MAKE TACO RICE:

In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.

browning and crumbling ground beef in a large skillet.

Add in taco seasoning and water.

water and taco seasoning  added to cooked ground beef in a skillet.

Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil.

taco beef mixture coming to boil in a skillet.

Turn down heat, then add in uncooked Minute Rice and stir.

pouring Minute Rice into large skillet with ground beef and taco seasoning mixture.

Cover and cook for about 5 minutes (until rice is tender.) Then remove lid and stir in salsa and cheese.

shredded cheese and salsa added to taco rice mixture in large skillet.

Turn off heat and it’s ready to serve.

closeup photo of Taco Rice in a large silver skillet.

If I am making this a whole meal, I will usually serve it topped with some sour cream, lettuce and diced tomatoes. You could even serve it wrapped in a tortilla.

Taco Rice shown served on a white plate and topped with sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Taco Rice Recipe

One Pan Taco Rice (+Video)

This easy, one pan Taco Rice recipe is a whole meal in one. Ground beef, taco seasonings, salsa, rice and cheese. A family favorite meal!
4.87 from 51 votes
Print Pin Rate
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups Minute Rice uncooked
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
  • Add in taco seasoning and water. Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil.
  • Turn down heat, then add in uncooked Minute Rice and stir.
  • Cover and cook for about 5 minutes (until rice is tender.) Then remove lid and stir in salsa and cheese.
  • Turn off the heat and it’s ready to serve!

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Serve topped with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sour cream. You can also serve this with your favorite tortillas.
  • This can be made meatless.
  • Ground pork or ground turkey can be substituted. 
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Sodium: 740mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Originally published: November 2015
Updated & republished: June 2019

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Recipe Rating




60 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We had a taco bar type dinner at church so I took this and just popped it into a slow cooker to keep warm. I think it was one of the first things to be totally eaten first. I had to give your website out to everyone so they could get the recipe. Thanks so much!

  2. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I doubled it. I served two adults and children alike. I added a can or tomatoes which I puréed along with the salsa, so the kids wouldn’t pick at the tomato bits and refuse to eat. They all loved it! I offered corn tortillas with it, or scoop type chips. It was a big hit! I did not have minute rice, so I use jasmine rice that I parcooked the day before. Yum!!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this for a dinner party and topped it with the works and it was a hit! Thanks for this amazing idea!

  4. During the quarantine, the rice shelf was pretty cleaned out. I have regular rice. I’m going to use 1 cup with 2 cups of water and cook it for the required time on the package. I’ll let you know how it turned out.
    .

  5. 5 stars
    My husband really enjoyed it. Next time I think I will use cut-up boneless chicken instead of gd. beef.

  6. 5 stars
    Easy, fast and delicious. I add onion, garlic, green pepper, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and half a bag of frozen corn. My husband loves it.

  7. Can I substitute the minute rice for precooked rice? I have some leftover white rice to use up, if so should I reduce or omit the water all together?

  8. I just made this recipe. I’m a big fan of easy-to-make recipes. I added one chopped to ground beef. I added water before adding taco seasoning so it would mix together easier. I love this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.

  9. I love rice and this recipe looks so easy and delicious! I have ground beef in the fridge and Minute Rice in the pantry … think I’ll try this tonight!

      1. I DID make this dish tonight and it was delicious and so easy! Because I live alone, I split the recipe … only used half of each ingredient. Served it with shredded lettuce and tortilla chips. I will certainly make this again when I have company .. everyone will love it!

  10. Would this work to substitute Quinoa for the rice? I can’t eat much rice, but love quinoa.I wonder how the liquid amount would need to be changed.

  11. 5 stars
    Just made this tonight. My whole family loved it: I added mushrooms, onions and corn. Will be having leftovers with tortilla chips tomorrow!

  12. 5 stars
    Made this the other night and I’m wondering why I never made it before?! So simple and quick yet so good! For sure my new go to when I need a quick meal! Thank you!