Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
Published 8/8/2024 • Updated 11/10/2024
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Whether you’re making this for game day or eating it as an easy dinner idea, this Mexican Ground Beef Skillet requires just one pan and only 40 minutes of your time! You can serve it in so many different ways – with chips, in a burrito, as a bowl, etc.
This ground beef recipe is a Fit Foodie reader favorite and also one we make in our own kitchens on repeat. We love how veggie-packed it is and it’s also high in protein (27g/serving) thanks to ground beef and beans. I personally love serving this nacho-style with tortilla chips, but it’s quite tasty eaten out of a bowl, too!
Featured Comment
“This was absolutely delicious. My kids made burritos with it and we also used tortilla chips.“ – Sharon
Looking for healthy ground beef recipes? We got you!
This one-pot Mexican ground beef skillet has hundreds of 5-star reviews and so many of you have made it time and time again, making it IMO, the internet’s most popular ground beef dinner recipe.
The rundown: Cook garlic, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil. Then, move that to the side and brown your ground beef in the same skillet. Add the seasonings, tomato sauce, beans, quick-cooking rice, and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer on low for around 20 minutes.
What does this Mexican Ground Beef Skillet Taste Like?
Similar to our Mexican casserole, this skillet is made with ground beef, taco seasoning, rice, beans, and tons of veggies. It tastes similar to a burrito bowl, but it’s made in one pan on the stovetop.
What You Need for this Mexican Ground Beef Recipe
- garlic: every good Mexican dish starts with garlic and that’s just a fact. Feel free to add more if your heart desires.
- yellow onion
- bell pepper: we love sneaking veg into our dishes when we can and bell peppers fit quite nicely in this skillet. Choose any color you’d like and even double it if you feel like it.
- ground beef: the star of this dish really is the ground beef. Now, we like a little fat in our ground beef, which is why we used 85%, but feel free to use a less fatty beef OR even swap it out for ground turkey.
- taco seasoning: we always have an all-purpose taco seasoning on hand at our house. It’s meant exactly for recipes like this! Basic spices, but a whole lot of flavor.
- tomato sauce: a little tomato sauce goes a long way. All you need is 1/2 cup and you’re good to go!
- green chiles: green chiles are mild for a pepper, yet they add really great flavor. If you like it spicy, be my guest and use jalapeños instead!
- black beans: black beans are another one of those Mexican essential ingredients. I keep a stock-pile of cans in my cupboard because they’re cheap and high protein. Feel free to use pinto instead!
- Instant rice: instant rice is pure magic. Let me stress the instant because in order for this to coo properly, you need to use instant rice, not regular rice. We tested this with both brown and white and they work swimmingly!
- shredded cheese: all skillets deserve to be topped with shredded cheese. Add as much or as little as you’d like!
How to Make a Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
As you know, this recipe only requires one pan and one pan only! That means the Instructions are rather simple.
- Cook Veggies: Start off by partially sauteeing the bell pepper, garlic, and onion in olive oil. The goal here is to get them partially cooked, but not all the way.
- Add Beef: Move the veggies to one side and add ground beef. Saute until the beef is fully cooked and then mix everything together.
- Add Rest of Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil. Then, turn the burner down to low and cover it. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice has softened.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! And, clean-up is a breeze because you only dirtied one pan.
Do I have to strain the beef before moving on?
It is not required to strain the fat from the beef before moving on, but you are more than welcome to if you want!
Can I use regular white rice instead?
While we haven’t tested this method, we are confident that jasmine rice would work. We recommend adding 1/2 cup more broth and letting it simmer until the rice is fully cooked.
I read in the comments that other people have cooked their regular white rice separately and mixed it all together at the end and that works, too! If that is the case, we recommend reducing the broth by at least 1/2 cup so it’s not soupy.
Storage Directions
Fridge: Let ground beef skillet cool completely. Then, transfer into a glass container. Will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Freeze for Later
This is a great recipe to freeze for later! Hold off on adding the cheese and then let the skillet cool completely. Transfer into a freezer-safe, gallon-size bag and then remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Yes! Any kind of beans will work for this recipe.
The best way to make this less spicy is to reduce the spice from the taco seasoning you use. Omit the paprika and cayenne pepper.
We have tested this with a plant-based ground and it came out great. Feel free to use your favorite kind.
While we haven’t personally tried this, many of you have and said that quinoa works just great.
Yes! Many of you have made this recipe with ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground venison.
Serving Suggestions:
Nachos: Our personal favorite way to serve this skillet is with tortilla chips. That means you can either eat it as nachos for a main meal or an appetizer! Cough cough, game day! Try our ground beef nachos.
Tacos: Grab a few street taco shells and plop some of this in there as the filling. You get it all –> meat, veggies, and rice! Top it with a scoop of guac and you’re good to go! Here’s our fav ground beef tacos recipe.
Bowls: Eat this skillet as-is with #allthetoppings. Think avocado, hummus, fresh cilantro, and lime juice! Here’s a recipe for our fav Beef Taco Bowls.
Burritos: Got leftover skillet? Use it as filling for freezer burritos. Simply follow the directions in our Freezer Beef Burrito post on how to freeze for later!
Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
- 2 large bell peppers, diced
- 1 lb. 85% ground beef
- 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons green chiles
- 15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, quick-cooking white rice works too!
- 1.5 cups beef broth, any kind
- 1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium/high heat in a large nonstick skillet*.
- When olive oil is fragrant, add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Then, move veggies to the side and add in ground beef. Saute ground beef for 7-9 minutes, or until fully cooked. Mix everything together in the pan.
- Once the beef is fully cooked, add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, green chiles, and black beans and cook for a few minutes. Then, add in quick-cooking rice and broth. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Once boiling, turn down to low and cover. Let simmer for around 20 minutes or until the rice has softened and absorbed the majority of the liquid.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of skillet and either let melt naturally or pop it in the oven at 400ºF for a few minutes to fully melt cheese.
- Serve beef skillet with chips!
Tips & Notes
- Skillet size: we used a 16-inch skillet, but if you use something smaller, just make sure it is deep enough. A dutch oven would work perfectly!
- Nutrition information includes our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My husband and I loved this – we had it with chips and leftovers with no chips. It’s so versatile – will definitely be making this again!
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Amazing! So easy and hands off and delicious!
The first time I saw this recipe, I ran (and I don’t run) to the grocery store to get these simple, hearty and best of all -healthy- ingredients. We do sub for turkey meat, and add a fresh jalapeño and corn to the skillet. I just eat the skillet on its own, my boyfriend eats it with tortilla chips. But I have never looked forward to leftovers more in my life, this recipe makes a good amount of food! We have decided that this will be in our rotation, even my boyfriend who never cooks says this is an easy recipe!
This was very yummy! We didn’t have chips to ate it with a fork! The Dutch oven worked great in place of the skillet.
My only complaint is that I am not a huge fan of recipes that leave a little bit of an ingredient left in the can. I like to use the whole can at once!
Still super yummy tho!!
Amazing! Big hit with the whole family and so easy to make.
Husband, wife and one kid approved! 3 out of 4 is good in this house. I did make the taco seasoning recipe as well. So many ways to enjoy: taco, bowl, nachos!
Glad (almost) all of you loved it 😛
Delicious dinner! Made fresh pico and guac to top the bowl of yummy taco deliciousness! My 4 year old ate it too! Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.
Photo didn’t post the first time!
Delicious! Made it as a meal with ground turkey instead of beef & enjoyed with tortilla chips.
Photo
Image size was too big, had to shrink it down!
Officially one of my new favorite recipes for taco Tuesday! This was easy & delicious – the entire family loved it, including my 3 year old! Can’t wait to make again 🙂
Wouldn’t let me add the photo to my original review!
This is definitely one of our favorites. We cook the quinoa separately and add at the end. We also use ground turkey, but this recipe is great for substitutions AND it’s easy and flavorful!
Missed uploading my photo somehow!