Cheesy Beef & Rice Skillet
Genuinely one pan, start to finish. Beef browned and seasoned, rice added straight in, then everything simmers together in stock and crushed tomatoes until the rice has soaked up all that flavour.
Cheese goes in twice, half stirred through the rice while it’s still hot so it melts and binds everything together, half on top so you get that melted, slightly golden finish once it’s reheated.
Five containers, minimal cleanup, and a proper Tex-Mex flavour running through the whole dish, not just on top.
Cheesy Beef & Rice Skillet
CHEESY BEEF SKILLET · BEEF · MEAL PREP · EASY
One pan, real flavour built in layers
Toasting the spices and tomato paste before any liquid goes in gets rid of any raw edge and deepens the flavour before the rice even starts absorbing anything.
Cooking the rice directly in the beef stock and tomato means it's picking up flavour the entire time it simmers, not just sitting under a sauce that was made separately.
And splitting the cheese between stirred-through and on-top gives you the best of both, melted throughout and a proper cheesy finish when it's time to eat.
Cheesy Beef & Rice Skillet
Ingredients
Beef & Rice
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- 700 g Beef Mince 10% Fat
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 8 g Smoked Paprika
- 4 g Ground Cumin
- 4 g Garlic Powder
- 4 g Onion Powder
- 1 g Dried Oregano
- 2 g Cayenne Pepper
- 15 g Tomato Paste
- 15 ml Worcestershire Sauce
- 300 g Long Grain Rice Washed
- 600 ml Beef Stock
- 400 g Crushed or Diced Tomatoes Canned
- 28 g Unsalted Butter
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Cheese
- 200 g Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese Grated
Serving
- Coriander (Cilantro)
- Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
- Pickled Jalapeños Optional
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep pan over high heat. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up as it browns, until no longer pink, caramelised, and reaching an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F).
- Add the onion, capsicum and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until softened.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne pepper. Stir through, then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and uncooked rice. Stir well and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef stock and crushed tomatoes. Stir together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes with the lid still on.
- Remove the lid and stir through the butter and half the cheese until melted through the rice.
- Divide between 5 meal prep containers. Top with the remaining cheese and melt before serving or reheating.
- Finish with coriander, spring onions, jalapeños, sour cream and hot sauce.
Can I use a different type of rice?⌄
Jasmine rice works as a straight swap. Avoid short-grain or risotto rice, they'll release more starch and make the dish gluggy rather than fluffy.
Can I make this spicier?⌄
Yes, increase the cayenne pepper or add a diced jalapeño along with the onion and capsicum. Extra hot sauce at serving time is the easiest way to adjust it per portion.
Why add the cheese in two stages?⌄
The first half stirred through while the rice is hot melts into the dish and helps bind everything together. The second half on top gives you that proper melted, slightly golden layer once it's reheated.
Can I make this without the can of crushed tomatoes?⌄
You can replace it with an extra 400ml of beef stock, though you'll lose some of the tomato depth and the dish will be less rich in colour and flavour overall.
