Taco Rice
This easy, one pan Taco Rice recipe is a whole meal in one. Ground beef, taco seasonings, salsa, rice and cheese. A family favorite meal!
AN ENTIRE MEAL IN ONE PAN
If there is one item I always tell new cooks to keep in their pantry – is rice. Especially quick-cooking rice like Minute Rice. It can be pulled out and added or mixed with so many other meals and it’s easy to get creative with. It beefs up meal time to make it more filling and you can add just about any flavor to it. What I love about this recipe is you don’t even need to cook the rice first – it all gets cooked up together so you can make this all in one pan without dirtying up a bunch of dishes!
This recipe is perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing! I love everything about this site. Thank you so much for all the Great recipes and the way you explain all of them…..they are all awesome!!!
– Carol
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
It is a simple recipe made with ground beef that has been seasoned with taco seasoning. Rice, salsa and shredded cheese are then added.
This taco rice is very filling on its own but you can serve it as a side to Layered Taco Bake or Mexican Lasagna! I think it would also go well with either White Chicken Enchiladas or Ground Beef Enchiladas.
Leftover Taco Rice should be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days. To reheat, sprinkle just a little bit of water on to the rice then microwave until warm (the extra water keeps the rice from drying out as it reheats.)
You can but this recipe was made specifically created for quick cooking rice so that it is faster to make. To use long grain rice, you would change the rice amount to 1 1/2 cups and use about 4 cups water. Cover and cook 25-30 minutes since long grain rice takes longer to cook.
We like to top it with some sour cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes (and a little extra shredded cheese! I think this would even be absolutely delicious if it is wrapped up in a burrito with the toppings added.
Yes. Rice should be put in a freezer safe container where it will keep up to 3 months. Put into the refrigerator to defrost then warm up using directions above.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef – you can use pork, chicken or ground turkey.
- taco seasoning – you can use a packet seasoning or make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Minute Rice quick cooking rice – see my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) above on this one if you’d like to use regular long grain rice.
- salsa – It’s important you use a salsa you enjoy eating. You can even use a spicy salsa if you want to kick this up a notch.
- shredded cheddar cheese – if you want to make it spicier, try using a pepper jack cheese.
HOW TO MAKE TACO RICE:
In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add in taco seasoning and water.
Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil. Turn down heat, then add in uncooked Minute Rice and stir.
Cover and cook for about 5 minutes (until rice is tender.) Then remove lid and stir in salsa and cheese. Turn off heat and it’s ready to serve.
If I am making this a whole meal, I will usually serve it topped with some sour cream, lettuce and diced tomatoes. You could even serve it wrapped in a tortilla.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Spanish Rice
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Stick of Butter Rice
- Chicken Taco Rice
- Hibachi Fried Rice
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- Beef Fried Rice
- Arroz Con Pollo
- Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Crock Pot Taco Soup
- Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito
- Taco Bell Enchiritos
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Salsa Chicken Dip
- Walking Tacos
- Blender Salsa
- Copycat Chili’s Salsa
Originally published: November 2015
Updated photos & republished: March 2024
The Best Taco Rice (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef. Drain excess grease.
- Add in 1 packet taco seasoning and 2 cups water. Stir well and allow mixture to come to a boil.
- Turn down heat, then add in 2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked and stir.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes (or until rice is tender.) Then remove lid and stir in 1 cup salsa and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Turn off the heat and it’s ready to serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
can I use long grain regular rice?
I answer that above in detail in the Frequently Asked Questions section 🙂
While I was in Mexico I came across this recipe. I cooked for a family of 16, I quadrupled this. I used rice I couldn’t read the Spanish directions properly, it actually turned out delicious!! Simple, but so yummy. Everyone loved it. I made it with guacamole and squeezed lime over it. Very tasty!!
would this be good with shredded mozzarella cheese instead? trying to use what I have on hand.
I’m sure you could. I haven’t personally tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
The best!! Love your recipe! Thank you!!
very good just as you made it but, I added a can of rinsed and drained black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies. OMG it just Amped up the flavors. Thank you !!
Could I use cooked basmati and add it to the mixture?
I don’t see why not.
This was so easy to make and delicious. I added some pinto beans and put Fritos on top. Definitely would make this again.
Very delicious!! The next time I make this, I’m going to try substituting chicken for the ground beef. I think that would be tasty too. Would make a good filling for a burrito as well. Thank you so much for all of the recipes that you post.
This is really good. I added a chopped onion, can of diced tomatoes/rotel, can of red kidney beans and it was tasty!
My husband and I both love this recipe! It is also very delicious when you add ranch. Definitely recommend!!
Yummy yummy!
This recipe is perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing! I love everything about this site. Thank you so much for all the Great recipes and the way you explain all of them…..they are all awesome!!!
You are so sweet Carol! You made my day – thank you SO much!
I was looking for a quick recipe using ground beef and rice and came across your recipe. This was absolutely delicious. I used regular rice and cooked it for 20 minutes covered. I did not add any more water than the two cups required. Added a salad for a complete meal. You have a ton of delicious recipes on your site. Thank you!
I live alone and realize I have ‘just about enough’ ingredients to make one stuffed pepper, lol. I will be snowed in here for a couple of days and it will be on my menu. very tasty indeed!
Yes! This would be perfect as stuffed pepper filling! Yum!
So so good! Huge hit with the family!!
Incredibly yummy!
I doubled everything and used it as burrito filling. made 20 burritos out of it. wrapped them up and now in the freezer for ready to grab stuff before practices or quick lunches
What an AWESOME idea! I am so going to do that for meal prep. Thank you for sharing this!
This was so good! Love this recipe!!
Delicious and easy recipe! I made the recipe according to the directions and used the homemade taco seasoning linked in the blog post. The portion size is generous so I’ll probably get 6 servings out of the one recipe. I didn’t have lettuce so I ate steamed broccoli and corn chips with my first serving. Looking forward to trying other recipes on this site.
What kind of side dish would you serve with this?
Black beans and corn is the best
This was so easy and very tasty.
Big hit at work.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for coming back to comment Randy!
I made this tonight for the first time and hubby, and I loved it!! Definitely going to add it to our monthly menu. The only thing I wish is that your recipes had the nutrition information so I could track this with my diet. It is a healthy meal but for those of us who track our foods, nutrition info would be helpful. Thank you!!
Hey Linda! Nutritional info is on the bottom of the recipe card. However, it is always recommended you input recipes into your own trusted nutritional calculator as values can change based on the fat content of the meat you purchase and the brands you used (since different brands can have vastly different nutritional values) 🙂 So happy you both liked this one!
I love this meal! It’s so quick and easy and my family loves it! Sometimes I add in a black beans and/or corn (both drained of course) just because, but it’s good either way!
Oh, my gosh. This is phenomenal. Will make this regularly.
The best OMG so good!
This was FANTASTIC! Will be making this a staple to our main menu!
That makes my day to read! Thank you for coming back to comment Kim!
I don’t use instant rice, Brandie, although I cook a lot of long-grain rice. Could I just cook the meat/salsa/etc and add my cooked rice to it. Obviously would need to delete the 2 cups of water. I love your recipes.
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!