A one-pan skillet dinner recipe made with ground beef, taco seasoning and Mexican style rice drenched in an easy queso cheese sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
Taco Rice:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- Salt & pepper for beef
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup taco sauce or tomato sauce
Queso Sauce:
- 8 ounces Velveeta Queso Blanco cheese
- 3-5 tablespoons half & half
INSTRUCTIONS:
Taco Rice:
Add ground beef and onion to a large skillet then season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat until meat is cooked through. Do not drain. Reduce heat to medium.
Add rice, taco seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper to cooked beef then mix well. Add chicken broth and taco sauce then stir to incorporate.
Bring mixture to a gentle boil then reduce heat to low. Cover skillet then cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
When ready to serve, drizzle mixture with queso sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if desired.
Queso Sauce:
Combine Velveeta and 3 tablespoons of half & half in a microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 2-3 minutes or until melted through, stirring every 30-45 seconds.
Add additional half & half until sauce reaches desired consistency.
Notes
We need the pan drippings from the ground beef for flavor and richness but if your beef produces an excessive amount of fat, drain some of it if you prefer.
Feel free to use whichever queso sauce you like best. I’ve been known to order an extra cup from the Mexican restaurant just to use with this recipe.
If you can’t find the Queso Blanco variety of Velveeta, use any flavor.
You can also heat heavy cream and white American cheese to make queso sauce (it’s actually better than using Velveeta but I never feel like standing in line at the deli to get the white American cheese).
I don’t know if this can be made with Minute rice or brown rice because I’ve never cooked either type of rice.
I don’t know how this could be converted to a slow cooker recipe.
TIPS FOR COOKING RICE:
Do not open the lid to the pot/pan or stir more often than necessary.
Only stir with a fork and scrape the bottom of the pot/pan when stirring.
Keep temperature at the lowest temperature possible while still maintaining a simmer.
Don’t stir or open the lid of the pot/pan the last 10 minutes of cooking.
