Cheesy Taco Rice

A skillet pan with cheesy rice that has been cooked.

Cheesy Taco Rice is an easy one pan meal bursting with all the taco flavor you love! It's a weeknight favorite that the whole family will love with it's melty cheese and loaded taco rice - the best part is that dinner can be ready in 30 minutes with this one pan wonder.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cheesy taco rice

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 512kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Large Skillet Pan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef (I use 93/7)
1 small yellow onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic
1 packet taco seasoning
2¼ cups beef broth
1 can (10 oz) Rotel
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ cups long grain white rice (dry, uncooked)
2 cups shredded cheese (any variety)

Instructions

In a large skillet pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, ground beef, and onion. Cook and crumble the ground beef until it's no longer pink and the onions are translucent - about 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound ground beef, 1 small yellow onion
Add the garlic and taco seasoning packet into the cooked ground beef and stir everything together. Cook for 30 seconds.
2 cloves garlic, 1 packet taco seasoning
Stir in the beef broth, Rotel, and tomato paste until combined. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the rice and bring the mixture back to a boil.
2¼ cups beef broth, 1 can (10 oz) Rotel, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1½ cups long grain white rice
Once boiling, cover the skillet pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook for 15 minutes.
Evenly sprinkle the shredded cheese over top and cook for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.
2 cups shredded cheese
Serve with your favorite taco toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, pico de Gallo, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Notes

Garlic : Use fresh garlic cloves that have been minced or pressed, use chopped garlic from a jar, or garlic paste. You could even use garlic powder if wanted (use 1 teaspoon).

Spicy or Mild : Use spicy rotel, Pepper Jack cheese, and garnish with sliced jalapeños for a spicier version - to keep it mild, make sure to use the mild rotel tomatoes, mild taco seasoning, and a cheese such as Colby Jack.

Tip : Make sure you use a large skillet pan that has high sides on it and a lid. I use the 6 QT skillet pan that has been linked above in the recipe card. A large 5 QT skillet pan would also work.

Nutrition