Taco Rice
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. 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. What I love about this recipe is you don’t even need to cook the rice first – it all gets cooked up together so you can make this all in one pan without dirtying up a bunch of dishes!
This recipe is perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing! I love everything about this site. Thank you so much for all the Great recipes and the way you explain all of them…..they are all awesome!!!
– Carol
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a simple recipe made with ground beef that has been seasoned with taco seasoning. Rice, salsa and shredded cheese are then added.
This taco rice is very filling on its own but you can serve it as a side to Layered Taco Bake or Mexican Lasagna! I think it would also go well with either White Chicken Enchiladas or Ground Beef Enchiladas.
Leftover Taco Rice should be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days. To reheat, sprinkle just a little bit of water on to the rice then microwave until warm (the extra water keeps the rice from drying out as it reheats.)
You can but this recipe was made specifically created for quick cooking rice so that it is faster to make. To use long grain rice, you would change the rice amount to 1 1/2 cups and use about 4 cups water. Cover and cook 25-30 minutes since long grain rice takes longer to cook.
We like to top it with some sour cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes (and a little extra shredded cheese! I think this would even be absolutely delicious if it is wrapped up in a burrito with the toppings added.
Yes. Rice should be put in a freezer safe container where it will keep up to 3 months. Put into the refrigerator to defrost then warm up using directions above.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- ground beef – you can use pork, chicken or ground turkey.
- taco seasoning – you can use a packet seasoning or make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Minute Rice quick cooking rice – see my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) above on this one if you’d like to use regular long grain rice.
- salsa – It’s important you use a salsa you enjoy eating. You can even use a spicy salsa if you want to kick this up a notch.
- shredded cheddar cheese – if you want to make it spicier, try using a pepper jack cheese.
How To Make Taco Rice
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 heat and it’s ready to serve.
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.
Craving More Recipes
- Spanish Rice
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Stick of Butter Rice
- Chicken Taco Rice
- Hibachi Fried Rice
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- Beef Fried Rice
- Arroz Con Pollo
- Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Crock Pot Taco Soup
- Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito
- Taco Bell Enchiritos
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Salsa Chicken Dip
- Walking Tacos
- Blender Salsa
- Copycat Chili’s Salsa
Taco Rice
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 1 pound ground beef. Drain excess grease.
- Add in 1 packet taco seasoning and 2 cups water. Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil.
- Turn down heat, then add in 2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked and stir.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes (or until rice is tender.) Then remove lid and stir in 1 cup salsa and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Turn off the heat and it’s ready to serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
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.
Originally published: November 2015
Updated photos & republished: March 2024
Going to a Mexican pot luck. Does this dish have to stay hot? Or can you take it in the big skillet and let it sit till inner?
It could dry out if you let it sit in a hot skillet too long. You could consider putting it in a crock pot on the warm setting but I’d keep some liquid on hand to ensure it doesn’t get dry.
We made this with a couple of “tweaks” since we like spicier dishes. We switched salsa for rotel tomatoes, added diced jalapeños and black beans. We topped it with fresh tomatoes, more cheese and sour cream and served it with spicy refried beans with cheese. (My husband ate his rolled into tortillas). LOVE THIS DISH!!!
Yay! Thank you Carol! So happy you were able to take the recipe and really make it your own with your spicy tweaks! Thank you so much for coming back to comment!
Subbed the salsa for a blended can of rotel(we don’t like chunks of tomato!) Very good thank you!
Hello,
If I freeze this after it’s cooked, to I put it in a aluminum pan, cover with foil? Do I reheat it in the oven and if so what temp, how long and keep it covered?
Thanks,
Sheila
Hi Sheila, I am not sure I would reheat in the oven. Rice can easily dry out. I just freeze in a microwave save container and reheat in the microwave =. You may want to add a bit of liquid first.
Delicious my partner was very happy thanks for sharing
I added some black beans, bell pepper and onion to the mix but it was fantastic!
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!
I make this often but use cauliflower rice. Great recipe !
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!!
I made this for a dinner party and topped it with the works and it was a hit! Thanks for this amazing idea!
Thanks so very much Steve!
Beautiful quick meal.
Delicious!!
Yay!! So happy it turned out good for you! Thanks Linda!
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.
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My husband really enjoyed it. Next time I think I will use cut-up boneless chicken instead of gd. beef.
Love it, I Make and use it as a filling for soft tacos or burritos also.
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.
Love it Kathy!! Thanks so much!
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?
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.
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!
Yay!! Love when a meal can be made with what you already have on hand in the pantry! Hope you love it!
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!
Thanks so much Peggy!! I love hearing that!!
This is soooo good & easy to make! I’ve also put it in a tortilla.
Love hearing that Ellen – thanks so much!
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.
Hi Darlene – I enjoy quinoa but I’ve actually never cooked it for myself. So I am honestly not sure. Perhaps someone on here who is more familiar with cooking with quinoa can help us out! 🙂
This was so good!
Just made this tonight. My whole family loved it: I added mushrooms, onions and corn. Will be having leftovers with tortilla chips tomorrow!
Made this a few times. My whole family loved it! Can this recipie be frozen?
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!
The pictures don’t do it justice – ha! It really is one of my favorites. So happy you loved it too!! 🙂
My family and I love this recipe! It’s so easy and I generally have the ingredients on hand. I prefer it just as is, my son eats it with tortilla chips, and my daughter likes hers in a soft tortilla shell. We usually have a bit leftover and they reheat just fine.
You are so sweet Sarah! Thank you so much!!
Sounds so good . I’m diabetic so I’m going to make it with cauliflower rice to cut the carbs.
You can absolutely use regular rice in this recipe…either cold, left over rice or follow rice prep instructions on pkg. and increase the cooking time to 15 minutes, covered on low. This is how I make my stuffed bell pepper filling. I just use different seasonings & cold leftover long grain rice.
I’ll make this next week but will add a can of rinsed black beans, chopped onions & bell peppers to the ground beef and serve in tortilla bowls with cheese, chopped tomatoes & sliced green onion for an at home fancy (& economical) restaurant style main course casserole/salad treat!
My mom used Minute Maid instant rice in the 1970’s when it & Hamburger Helper first came out. But I remember the instant rice having a mushy texture & therefore I have never purchased it myself. I love rice & always have a large jar of long grain, jasmine rice & brown rice. Maybe they’ve improved the texture of minute rice. I still probably wouldn’t buy it because adding raw or cold cooked rice to a recipe is no big deal. Thank you for sharing your quick, filling casserole type main dish.
Made this yesterday and it was great!!
This recipe is quick and delicious, I’ve made it 4 times now. Thank you for sharing
Very picky husband loved this, and so do I!
Going to try this tomorrow.
I sure do hope you enjoy!
My mom used to make this recipe when I was growing up. I Always loved it. She would put it on a bed of crushed up corn chips and put the lettuce and tomato on top. I believe she got the recipe right off of the Minute rice box back in the day. Thanks for sharing so I can make it for my family.
LOVE that idea of the corn chips and lettuce and tomato! Hope your family loves it.
Thank you, this has been a hit since I first shared it. So glad you are enjoying it as much as we have.
When I saw this recipe the first time I tried it out immediately. And it was a hit. I still make it this exact way but I do sometimes add bell pepper and rinsed black beans. I cook the bell pepper with the mear or cook it separately, whichever is fine. I add the beans with the Salsa they only need to warm. This is a great dish to take to a pot luck dinner and the extras only add to the amount tou take to the dinner. There is never any left.
Bonnie-absolutely you can add black beans to this recipe.
Was wondering if I could add black beans to this?? Thoughts?
So glad hubby approved! Who doesn't love a one pot wonder? Less dishes to wash and all bellies are full and happy!
My husband LOVED this!! It was delicious and I like that I can have everything on hand for a hurry-up dinner..
I made this tonight and it ROCKS!!! Thank you for posting this recipe!! 😀
Lora, just prepare your rice as normal and then you will add it to the prepared taco meat. The only water you'll use is the water needed for the taco seasoning (just use the amount it says on the back of the package.) Hope that helps!
Libra girl, It is not spicy hot at all. If you purchase a very mild salsa like I did – it does not come out spicy. However, you could just leave it out all together. I am very sensitive to hot foods because of my acid reflux so I totally understand that!
What a great weeknight meal! I agree. Rice is a pantry staple must! I have a huge bag from SAMS club and love having it there whenever I need a quick starch. Love this recipe!
This looks really good. I wonder if I could skip the salsa? My family doesn't like spicy stuff. Thanks for the recipe!
Libragirl,
I'm DEF not the cook that Brandie is, but I'd suggest MILD taco sauce in place of the salsa. My husband cannot have tomatoes due to health reasons, but CAN tolorate tomato based sauces in moderation, so I've begun sub'ing in taco sauce in all my recipes that call for salsa. You might want to cut back just a bit on the amount you use so you don't end up with something that is far soupier than intended.
Brandie this sounds delish, but I don't buy minute rice due to husband's medical issues. How would you suggest making this with regular rice???
Thank you Mary! Great to hear from you! See you soon!!
Hi can I use regular rice vs the minute rice? Any different direction if any? Thank you ????
Hi Miosotty, I have never tried it with regular, long-grain rice. I’m sorry! I’m sure it will need more liquid, I’m just not sure exactly how much. I’m sorry I’m not more help!
Sheree that was so sweet, thank you!! Hope you love it!
This sounds delicious and so simple. Thanks for the recipe, Brandie!
Another great recipe to try tonight. Thanks for all the great recipes you share!