Spicy (Shortcut) Mexican Rice Skillet

The great thing about Mexican food is that when I get a craving for it, I almost always have the ingredients on hand! And you probably do too. This recipe is so easy and quick to make. Hence the name “Shortcut” Spicy Mexican Rice Skillet. With the use of mostly canned veggies, I also save a lot of “chopping” and cooking time. Usually this recipe is made all in one skillet (rice included) but I have a hard time getting the rice to the perfect consistency. It either comes out undercooked OR overcooked. I got frustrated with those results and decided to just start cooking the rice separately and mixing it in afterwards. 

Also, try my Simple and Spicy Guacamole Recipe as a GREAT topping for this skillet.

I haven’t mastered the art of making rice in a pot, so I always turn to my trusted Rice Cooker. It’s such a life saver. I highly recommend you all invest in one. Another trick that helps with the rice consistency is to wash it thoroughly under running water. It will remove all the extra starch and prevent the rice from being too sticky once cooked. That is highly important in a recipe like this because once everything is mixed together, you want as little “stickiness” as possible. I like my ingredients to blend well without turning into one big mushy mess.

After lots of trial and error, I think I found the perfect way to put a quick Mexican style dinner on the table in no time. Read on to see the full recipe for this Spicy Mexican Rice Skillet! Hope you all give it a try!

Spicy (Shortcut) Mexican Rice Skillet

Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

322

kcal

If you’re craving Mexican food, this is the fastest way to get it on your dinner table! Full of lean beef, black beans, corn, onions, and peas. Top it off with some Mexican Style cheese and avocado!

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice (measured uncooked)

• 1 lb lean ground beef

• ¼ red onion, chopped

• 1 tsp seasoned salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 15 oz canned black beans, drained

• 15 oz canned peas, drained

• 15 oz canned corn, drained

• 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese (plus more for serving)

• Avocado (for serving)

Directions

• Wash rice thoroughly before cooking until water runs clear. Use a rice cooker or pot of your choice to cook the rice 
• While rice is cooking, brown the beef on medium heat in a large skillet 
• Once the beef is nicely browned on both sides, drain excess grease. Return to skillet, add the chopped onions and all the spices. Mix and cook for an additional 3 minutes 
• Add all the drained vegetables to the skillet. Heat for an additional 5 minutes, mixing continuously  
• Once the rice is done cooking, add it to the skillet as well and stir everything together 
• Remove from heat, add the shredded cheese and mix 
• Serve immediately with more shredded cheese and sliced avocados. (Or you can serve it with a side of my Simple and Spicy Guacamole!) 

Notes

• Calories & Nutritional Info may vary based on different brands and ingredients used. Nutritional Info below was calculated using Very Fit Well’s Nutrition Calculator.