Whether you make this on game day or eat it as a main meal, this Mexican Ground Beef Skillet requires one pan only and only 40 minutes of your time!
We love ground beef recipes here at Fit Foodie Finds because beef adds so much flavor to whatever you are cooking. Keep scrolling for more healthy ground beef recipes.
This Mexican Beef Skillet is a Fit Foodie reader favorite. It’s one of our best healthy ground beef recipes because it’s veggie-packed, high-protein, and made with just one pan!
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“This was absolutely delicious. My kids made burritos with it and we also used tortilla chips.“ – Sharon
Seriously one of the BEST Healthy Ground Beef Recipes!
This seriously might be one of the best healthy ground beef recipes we’ve ever made! It has hundreds of 5-star reviews and so many of you have made it multiple times.
It’s all about versatility. Want to eat it as a healthy dinner idea? Need a game day app? Want a meal-prep lunch recipe? Girl, this works for all of that!
Made in just one pan, this Mexican skillet recipe is made with all the flavors, plus is packed with veggies, beans, and rice, too!
In this post, we’ll teach you how to make one of the best ground beef recipes on the internet, how to serve it, and how to freeze it.
What does this Mexican Ground Beef Skillet Taste Like?
Similar to our Mexican casserole, this skillet is made with ground beef, taco seasoning, rice, beans, and tons of veggies. It tastes similar to a burrito bowl, but it’s made in one pan on the stovetop.
What You Need for this Ground Beef Recipe
- garlic: every good Mexican dish starts with garlic and that’s just a fact. Feel free to add more if your heart desires.
- yellow onion
- bell pepper: we love sneaking veg into our dishes when we can and bell peppers fit quite nicely in this skillet. Choose any color you’d like and even double it if you feel like it.
- ground beef: the star of this dish really is the ground beef. Now, we like a little fat in our ground beef, which is why we used 85%, but feel free to use a less fatty beef OR even swap it out for ground turkey.
- taco seasoning: we always have an all-purpose taco seasoning on hand at our house. It’s meant exactly for recipes like this! Basic spices, but a whole lot of flavor.
- tomato sauce: a little tomato sauce goes a long way. All you need is 1/2 cup and you’re good to go!
- green chiles: green chiles are mild for a pepper, yet they add really great flavor. If you like it spicy, be my guest and use jalapeños instead!
- black beans: black beans are another one of those Mexican essential ingredients. I keep a stock-pile of cans in my cupboard because they’re cheap and high protein. Feel free to use pinto instead!
- Instant rice: instant rice is pure magic. Let me stress the instant because in order for this to coo properly, you need to use instant rice, not regular rice. We tested this with both brown and white and they work swimmingly!
- shredded cheese: all skillets deserve to be topped with shredded cheese. Add as much or as little as you’d like!
Kitchen Accessories
Here are all of the essentials you need to make one of the most amazing Mexican ground beef recipes. PS: these are great kitchen items to have on hand for making all ground beef recipes!
How to Make a Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
As you know, this recipe only requires one pan and one pan only! That means the Instructions are rather simple.
- Cook Veggies: Start off by partially sauteeing the bell pepper, garlic, and onion in olive oil. The goal here is to get them partially cooked, but not all the way.
- Add Beef: Move the veggies to one side and add ground beef. Saute until the beef is fully cooked and then mix everything together.
- Add Rest of Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil. Then, turn the burner down to low and cover it. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice has softened.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! And, clean-up is a breeze because you only dirtied one pan.
Try it!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Make your own u003cstrongu003eHomemade Taco Seasoningu003c/strongu003e with just 9 ingredients you likely already have in your spice cupboard, and you’ll be on your way to the most flavorful meat or veggie tacos in no time.
Storage Directions
Fridge: Let ground beef skillet cool completely. Then, transfer into a glass container. Will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Freeze for Later
This is a great recipe to freeze for later! Hold off on adding the cheese and then let the skillet cool completely. Transfer into a freezer-safe, gallon-size bag and then remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Can I use normal white rice or brown rice?
Unfortunately, we only recommend using minute rice as both the cooking time and amount of liquid would change.
Can I use pinto beans instead of black beans?
Yes! Any kind of beans will work for this recipe.
How do I make this less spicy?
The best way to make this less spicy is to reduce the spice from the taco seasoning you use. Omit the paprika and cayenne pepper.
Can I make this vegetarian?
We have tested this with a plant-based ground and it came out great. Feel free to use your favorite kind.
Can I sub quinoa instead?
While we haven’t personally tried this, many of you have and said that quinoa works just great.
Can I use a different kind of ground beef?
Yes! Many of you have made this recipe with ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground venison.
Serving Suggestions:
Nachos: Our personal favorite way to serve this skillet is with tortilla chips. That means you can either eat it as nachos for a main meal or an appetizer! Cough cough, game day! Try our ground beef nachos.
Tacos: Grab a few street taco shells and plop some of this in there as the filling. You get it all –> meat, veggies, and rice! Top it with a scoop of guac and you’re good to go! Here’s our fav ground beef tacos recipe.
Bowls: Eat this skillet as-is with #allthetoppings. Think avocado, hummus, fresh cilantro, and lime juice! Here’s a recipe for our fav Beef Taco Bowls.
Burritos: Got leftover skillet? Use it as filling for freezer burritos. Simply follow the directions in our Freezer Beef Burrito post on how to freeze for later!
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Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 medium yellow onion minced
- 2 large bell peppers diced
- 1 lb. 85% ground beef
- 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons green chiles
- 15 oz. canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice quick-cooking white rice works too!
- 1.5 cups beef broth any kind
- 1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium/high heat in a large nonstick skillet*.
- When olive oil is fragrant, add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Then, move veggies to the side and add in ground beef. Saute ground beef for 7-9 minutes, or until fully cooked. Mix everything together in the pan.
- Once the beef is fully cooked, add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, green chiles, and black beans and cook for a few minutes. Then, add in quick-cooking rice and broth. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Once boiling, turn down to low and cover. Let simmer for around 20 minutes or until the rice has softened and absorbed the majority of the liquid.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of skillet and either let melt naturally or pop it in the oven at 400ºF for a few minutes to fully melt cheese.
- Serve beef skillet with chips!
Tips & Notes
- Skillet size: we used a 16-inch skillet, but if you use something smaller, just make sure it is deep enough. A dutch oven would work perfectly!
- Nutrition information includes our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
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Super tasty! I added some jalapeños for extra spice but otherwise this was super easy and tasty!
Am I suppose to strain the beef and veggies before adding the other ingredients?
I know instant rice is 2:1 ratio and the recipe only calls for 1.5c of broth. Is the other 1/2c come from the grease or the tomato sauce?
Even if the recipe calls for it, would be OK to leave out the grease and replace it with something else?
I bought all the ingredients today and I can’t wait to make it so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 🙏
I enjoyed this one, as did the rest of the family. I kicked up the garlic, onion, chiles, and cheese. And tossed in some leftover jalapeño and cilantro from another recipe. I served it alongside some chips and corn. Yum! Definitely a repeat and one I plan to double next time to create a freezer meal!
This was very, very nice and fun to make. It made 6 servings of a slightly heaping 1 cup each. I cooked the basmati rice separately and put it on top.
The Taco seasoning is great. I omitted the onion powder and used Hungarian paprika vs smoked. And I only used 2 TBSP of the seasoning in the recipe.
I always use a pork/beef mixture for almost everything. I didn’t have any green chilis, so to add some other zip, I used some Tabasco, a splash of plain rice vinegar, and about 1/2 cup of Harp ale. And homemade chicken broth b/c that’s what I have on hand. I also added corn niblets, frozen last summer.
My husband and I make this recipe all the time! It is an absolute staple in our home. It’s so quick and easy and we can eat off of it for 2-3 days. I highly recommend!!