Home » Recipes » 30 Minute Meals » Ground Beef and Rice Skillet Dinner

Last updated: Nov 23, 2021 by Melissa Riker · 36 Comments

Ground Beef and Rice Skillet Dinner

Name: Ground Beef and Rice Skillet Dinner
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1.5 lb ground beef; 1 yellow onion, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 10 oz can Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (undrained); 1 1/2 cups beef broth; 1 cup long grain rice; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese; parsley for garnish if desired

Jump to Recipe

Ground Beef and Rice Skillet is a 30 minute, one pan meal the entire family will love! Hamburger, rice, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese come together for a complete comfort food meal.

How many times have you wished for a quick and easy hamburger and rice recipe for dinner? Seeing as how those are two ingredients most of us have on hand, it only make since to have a few super easy ground beef recipes to turn to on those busy nights when you have no idea what to make for dinner. This is one of my favorites, along with these Mongolian Noodles and 20 Minute Stroganoff!

Why I love this recipe

This recipe is packed with flavor and a slight Mexican flair. It cooks up in 30 minutes start to finish and only uses one pan...no sink full of dirty dishes! I also love that it's family friendly and budget friendly as well!

Ingredients

Nothing fancy here...

ground beef
onion
red bell pepper
garlic
beef broth

rice
Rotel
Worcestershire sauce
Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

Step by step

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain. While the meat is browning, chop the onion and bell pepper.
Add onion, pepper, garlic, and salt & pepper to the meat and stir. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
Add garlic, beef broth, rice, Rotel, and Worcestershire and stir to mix. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve garnished with chopped parsley if you'd like to get fancy!

spoon with beef and rice skillet with cheese

Tips for best results

Do not pre-cook the rice, it cooks up in the liquid in the skillet and absorbs all that amazing flavor.
Don't rush the step cooking the onion and garlic with the meat, this adds a lot of flavor to the meat and makes the final result so tasty.
Want it spicier? Choose the "Hot" variety of Rotel to add in.

FAQs

Can I switch up the type of meat?

You can use any type of ground meat you prefer in this recipe: turkey, chicken, pork, or a combination of these. If you use ground poultry consider adding a little extra Worcestershire to amp up the flavor.

What type of rice is best in this recipe?

I use long grain rice in this recipe but you can use most any rice, however you may have to adjust the cooking time according to the variety you use. I don't recommend jasmine rice because it is too delicate to withstand the big flavors in this hamburger and rice skillet recipe. Short grain, white rice, brown rice, even Basmati rice will all work beautifully.

Can I substitute the onion/garlic/bell pepper?

I don't recommend skipping the onion and garlic as they add a ton of flavor to the finished dish, however you can use any color of bell pepper you prefer or switch it out with other small veggies like peas, carrots, corn, or frozen mixed vegetables.

beef and rice with cheese on white plate

Serving suggestions

This skillet dinner can stand alone with the beef, rice, cheese, and pepper making it a complete, well-rounded meal. If you'd like to add on to it you can serve it with a side salad and/or homemade Texas toast.

If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!