Spanish Rice Recipe with Ground Beef
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Spanish Rice Recipe – Spanish Rice is a well-loved side dish. But this family favorite Spanish Rice with Beef recipe is a delicious main dish ready in under 30 minutes!
Looking for more easy ground beef recipes? I think you’ll love my Classic Chili, Lasagna, and Stuffed Peppers.
One of my favorite dishes to order when we go to our local Mexican restaurant is their Spanish rice. Well, along with the chips, salsa, queso dip, and guacamole! Ha!
Their Spanish rice though always just goes perfectly with whatever I order for my entree – from enchiladas to whatever their specials are for the day.
But, as much as I love their Spanish rice, it still doesn’t really compete with the version that my Mama has made since as long as I can remember. While theirs is served as a side dish, Mama’s was always the main attraction, served with a salad or beans.
Her Spanish rice is made with ground beef that takes it to a whole new level!
I love that it comes together in less than thirty minutes and just takes one skillet to prepare. We also love to prepare this for a camp style meal as well. No wonder Mama loved making this recipe so much! It’s an all-around favorite for sure!
Spanish Rice Recipe
How to Freeze Spanish Rice
Once cooked, allow to cool completely. Portion into freezer-safe container(s) and freeze up to 3 months.
To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, reheat and serve.
Here’s her Spanish Rice Recipe with Ground Beef. So simple, I think you’ll love it, too!
Skillet Spanish Rice with Ground Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Drain and set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil into the skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and rice, stirring frequently until rice is lightly browned. Add ground beef, oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Was simple and very delicious
Thanks, Robert!
This is one of my favorite recipes ever. I’ve made it for years now and I just love it, delicious every time! I make it exactly like your recipe except I add black beans and cheese at the end to give it sort of a Mexican twist. I can’t rave enough about this recipe.
Thanks, Eva. I am so happy you like this recipe. It has been a favorite since I was a little girl.
This is the perfect recipe for homemade Spanish Rice with Ground Beef. This is one of my husband’s favorite meals and when I was still working I used packaged Spanish Rice and added the ground beef. However, making it homemade using this recipe he likes it even more. Thank you!
Thank you, Renita. I’m so glad your husband loves this. xo
I added a small bag of corn and it came out GREAT!!!!
Thanks, Tara.
I too had trouble with my rice being under cooked but I think it’s because I used too much beef which meant there wasn’t enough liquids to cover my rice. I added more water and cooked an additional 10 mins and it was perfect. My husband loved it, it was easy & definitely a keeper. I’ll just know next time to add more water or cover if necessary. I made no changes to the recipe, used flour tortillas and mozzarella cheese and enjoyed immensely.
I’m so happy you and your husband loved this, Lori. It has been a favorite around my house for years. Thanks
Just like Mama made. Loved it!
I made this for my boyfriend and I last night and it was such a flavorful, simple, filling, and craveable week night meal!
Thank you, Ari. I’m so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed it.
My rice is crunchy or undercooked, and I’m not sure why. I added the water and let it cook forever, but the liquid stopped absorbing and the rice just seemed undercooked. What am I doing wrong? My kids still liked it a lot – I topped with cheddar cheese which is always popular. But I thought the rice would be more tender.
I’m sorry your rice was undercooked, Ali. I use long grain white rice. I have never had a problem with the rice being crunchy; it’s always tender so I’m not sure why it happened. Did you let it come to a full boil before reducing the heat then covering it to simmer? I let my rice get very lightly browned before adding the other ingredients. Hope this helps!
Just like mom used to make! It was a little bland, so I doubled the chili powder and cumin. Love the idea of topping with cheese and serving with tortilla chips. Maybe a couple of avocado slices?
Hi Sheron,
Sorry it was too bland for you. I didn’t make it really spicy so ones that don’t like spicy food could eat it and ones that like it a little more hot could add more spices. Serving it with avocado slices sounds good. Thanks!
Delicious it a keeper. Thanks for sharing. Stuffed it in some bell peppers. Family loved it.