Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 1 large onion
- 1 bell pepper (any color – seeded)
- 1/2 zucchini
- 3 oz mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 3 cups bone broth (or beef broth)
- 3/4 cup salsa (of your choice)
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice (rinsed and drained)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or any other cheese of your choice)
- Optional: parsley or cilantro (for garnish)
Prepare Vegetables
Chop up the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic into small pieces using a sharp knife.
If you’re short on time, you can chop everything into larger pieces and use a food processor to chop the vegetables down into smaller pieces.
The smaller you chop all of the ingredients, the better they will combine into the rice & the less likely kids will pick out the vegetable chunks.
Cook Ground Beef
To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, then add ground beef and cook until mostly browned, breaking apart with a spatula while cooking.
This process will take approximately 4-5 minutes.
You want some good browning to occur on the meat; at this point the beef does not have to be completely cooked through.
Add Vegetables To Skillet
Once meat is brown, add all of the chopped vegetables to the skillet with the beef.
Stir together and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until vegetables start to become tender.
When onions have become opaque in color and bell peppers have lost their firm/crunchy texture, then you know they are cooked enough to be added to the rice mixture.
Add Rice & Liquids, Simmer
Next, stir in broth, salsa, rice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper together until they are thoroughly mixed together.
Increase temperature to high heat in order to bring liquid mixture to a boil then lower to low heat and simmer.
Put lid on skillet and leave on low heat for approximately 25-30 minutes or until rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Try not to lift the lid very often, as the rice needs a consistent steam environment in order to achieve the best cooking result.
Finish Dish With Cheese & Serve
Lift the lid and stir everything together to check if the rice has cooked through.
Once you are satisfied with how cooked the rice is, turn off the heat and sprinkle an even layer of cheese on top of the entire skillet, and replace the lid on top of the skillet for approximately 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese completely.
Once melted, serve warm and garnish with parsley or cilantro if desired.
Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 1 large onion
- 1 bell pepper any color – seeded
- 1/2 zucchini
- 3 oz mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 3 cups bone broth or beef broth
- 3/4 cup salsa of your choice
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or any other cheese of your choice
- Optional: parsley or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Finely chop onion, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and brown ground beef for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add chopped vegetables and cook 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in broth, salsa, rice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25-30 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
- Turn off heat, sprinkle cheese on top, cover for 2-3 minutes until melted.
- Garnish with parsley or cilantro if desired and serve warm.
