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31 Recipes To Cook in May 2025.
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Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice: Taco-seasoned ground beef cooked with rice, red bell peppers, chunky tomato salsa, sweet yellow corn, and black beans—all in one skillet, then topped with melty cheese and baked until bubbly. Finish it off with a dollop of yogurt, avocado tossed with lime juice, and lots of fresh cilantro. It’s flavorful and so easy to make. A one-skillet dinner everyone in the family will love!
With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, I’ve been leaning into Mexican-inspired dishes more than ever. They’re always some of the most fun—and most delicious—to make.
I grew up on my dad’s tacos (and occasionally his cheesy chorizo bake), so these kinds of meals bring back all the best memories. And now that I’m doing the cooking, it’s exciting to experiment with new recipes built on those same comforting flavors.
This beef and rice skillet isn’t fancy or over-the-top—it’s simple, satisfying, and something I’ve made on repeat. It’s the kind of dish you can throw together on a busy weeknight but still feel good about serving.
Best of all, it’s truly a one-pan meal. You don’t need anything fancy—just your favorite skillet, a handful of pantry staples, and a few fresh toppings to bring it all together.
My oldest brother absolutely loves this one. It has all his favorites: protein-rich beef, just the right amount of spice, rice, veggies, sweet corn, and that irresistible cheesy top. Add avocado and yogurt, and dinner’s done.
The Quick Details for Success
Ingredients
- ground beef – or use ground chicken
- a yellow onion
- red bell peppers
- taco seasoning
- dry rice
- chunky red salsa – I love the Whole Foods 365 salsa. I usually buy the spicy
- fresh or frozen corn
- black beans
- mixed Mexican cheeses – I love a spicy cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack blend
Ingredients – for topping
- plain Greek yogurt – sour cream is good too
- shredded lettuce
- chopped cilantro and scallions
- cubed or sliced avocado
- lime zest and lime juice
Special Tools
You’ll need a large oven-safe skillet. I recommend using a 11-inch cast iron skillet.
Step 1: Cook the beef
Start by cooking the ground beef (or chicken, if you prefer) with the onions, bell peppers, and taco seasoning. After about 10 minutes, the meat should be mostly cooked through and the seasoning will fill your kitchen with the best aroma.
I like to make my own taco seasoning using chili powder, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. So simple and so good!
Step 2: Add the rice
Stir the uncooked rice into the beef and let it toast for a minute or two.
Then mix in the salsa, corn, and black beans. Add water, cover the skillet, and let everything simmer over low heat. You want the rice to be mostly cooked but still a bit firm.
Step 3: Add cheese and bake
Once the rice is nearly done and there’s still a little liquid in the skillet, remove it from the heat and sprinkle on a generous mix of shredded cheese. I like spicy cheddar, pepper jack, and colby jack.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. The rice will finish cooking, and the top will get a little crispy—so delish!
Step 4: Top it off!
Like chili or tortilla soup, this dish isn’t complete without toppings.
I add a dollop of yogurt, avocado slices, a sprinkle of lime zest and juice, chopped cilantro, scallions, and a pinch of flaked sea salt. Serve with tortilla chips on the side for scooping—it’s the perfect final touch!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Lastly, if you make this Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 597 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or chicken
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup long grain rice
- 2 cups chunky red salsa
- 1 can (14 ounce) black beans, drained
- 2 cups spinach (optional)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheeses (cheddar/pepperjack/colby jack)
For Serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the beef or chicken, onion, bell pepper, and taco seasoning, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Cook 10 minutes until the beef is browned. Add the rice. Stir in the salsa, the beans, spinach, if using, and the corn. Add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. 3. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it.4. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the cheese over the beef/rice. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.5. Serve topped as desired with yogurt, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and lime. Enjoy!
Notes
Taco Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 2 teaspoons salt.
This post was originally published on May 1, 2025
Cinco de Mayo!!! Perfect timing. I was looking for a good Mexican dish let alone one pan. Family loved it!!!! Thank you Tieghan
Thank you so much, Michelle! SO glad your enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! xx
My comment was just lost when the site crashed. Very very frustrating to spend time sharing thoughts and have it all deleted. Please fix your site. You say you are taking in the feedback, but nothing changes. This is the worst user experience imaginable.
Hi Alison,
Very sorry to hear this. If there is something that I can help with regarding the recipe, please let me know! xx
Hello! I live in Europe and that yummy store bought chunky salsa is very hard to come by. If I omitted this, how much liquid would you say I need to make up for in order to cook the rice properly? Thank you!
Hi Kari,
I would do 1 1/2 cups of broth. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
I made this recipe and followed the recipe exactly. It turned out perfectly and was delicious. The leftovers are just as good! I made this in one large skillet then baked in separate small skillets for my family who can and can’t eat particular cheeses. 🙂
Hey Rachel,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
What an easy tasty one skillet meal. Thank you Tieghan for another winner!!
Thanks so much, Donna! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you. I appreciate you making it! Have a great weekend! xx
This looks delicious! Can you use brown rice?
Thanks so much, Shirley! Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this dish, have a great weekend! xx
Can you use cauliflower rice instead of rice? If so, how much would you recommend? The same amount?
Hi Anna,
So sorry, I have never tested that with this recipe, so I can’t say for sure how much to use. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Easy one skillet recipe. And tasty! Only recipe issue i had was the rice taking longer than 15 mins to cook. I ended up having to add a little more water so the rice could absorb. Maybe my salsa was too chunky? Idk. Either way it turned out delish!
Thanks so much, Erin!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! What kind of rice did you use? It could just be the variety in brands. Thanks again! xx
Super simple, one skillet flavorful recipe. Came together really fast and there is plenty of room to add your own personal flare. I used homemade salsa, left out the spinach and added picked jalapeños and crushed Fritos on top. Fantastic
Hey Christine,
Yay!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you!🌷 Happy Thursday!
What step does the spinach go in & how much?
Hi Diane,
You can use 2 cups of spinach in step 2. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I see you added it in now to include it in the recipe, thanks!!
I was just going to ask about the spaghetti vs rice in the ingredient list for the Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice. I’m going to make this tonight. I love your recipes and make them often. As does our Cooking Club!
Thanks so much, Debbie:) I don’t use any pasta in this recipe, that was a typo and it’s been fixed:) Sorry about that! I hope you love this dish! xT
This looks delish! How much “dry broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta” do you add? And also how much spinach? Thanks in advance!
Thanks so much, Liz! You can add 2 cups of optional spinach in step 2. Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
In your list you have “ dry broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta,” but I don’t see that in the recipe. Additionally, your pictures above show spinach but that is not included in the recipe either. Cam you please clarify?
Hi Sara,
You can add 2 cups of optional spinach in step 2. The pasta has been removed:) I hope you love this dish! xT
This sounds delicious. You mentioned dry spaghetti or angel hair in the beginning but didn’t see it listed in the final list of ingredients. How does the pasta fit in this recipe?
Hi Lisa,
So sorry about that, those were not meant to be there, all is fixed now:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Looks good but heads up, in the description of what you need for the recipe, you talk about spaghetti/angel hair, but it’s not in the regular recipe.
Thanks so much for the heads up Alix, it’s not in the recipe:) Sorry about that! Let me know if you give this dish a try! xx
Do you write these posts or someone else…or are they AI generated? Because it says “My oldest absolutely loves this one.” Umm…you don’t have any kids, so ??!
Hi Melanie,
These posts are not AI generated. My oldest brother loves this recipe, we all know I don’t have kids:) xx
Ah, oldest BROTHER. Guess you forgot that word! 😉 Because usually when someone says
“my oldest” or “my youngest”, they’re talking about their kids. 🙂