Taco rice is a fantastic one pot meal made with ground beef, taco seasoning, rotel tomatoes, rice and colby jack cheese.
We love a good one pot meal and this easy taco rice recipe does not disappoint! This would be perfect served with some crock pot queso blanco, black bean soup, and a gordita crunch!
Taco Rice
Taco Rice
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
📌 A simple one pot meal!
📌 Versatile! Add in peppers and onions or other delicious mix-ins.
📌 A great recipe for meal prepping or for feeding the whole family on a busy weeknight.
Taco Rice Ingredients
- Ground beef – Lean.
- Seasoning – Taco seasoning packet.
- Rotel – Diced tomatoes and green chiles, mild or hot.
- Rice – White rice.
- Water – Cold, filtered.
- Cheese – Shredded colby jack cheese.
- Optional toppings – Sour cream, scallions, avocado, tomatoes, black olives.
Ground beef, cheese, seasonings, rice, rotel, and toppings.
How do you make one pot taco rice? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain the grease. Add the taco seasoning packet and the can of rotel tomatoes. Stir to combine.
⭐ Next, add the rice and water and stir again to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
⭐ Then, cover the skillet and let cook until the rice is tender. Once tender, turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Stir to combine.
⭐ Finally, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place the lid back on the skillet to allow the cheese to melt. Once melted, top with your favorite toppings and enjoy.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Bulk it up by tossing in more veggies!
Preparation
Can you make taco rice ahead of time?
Yes this is a great make ahead recipe for meal prep. Store in the fridge until ready to reheat. Reheat on the stovetop or in the oven or microwave.
What kind of meat to use for taco rice?
We used lean ground beef for this recipe but other great options would be ground turkey, ground chicken or even pork sausage. You could even make this with chopped rotisserie chicken!
Should I use a taco packet or homemade taco seasoning?
Either will work great for this recipe. Try using our homemade taco seasoning recipe to skip all the preservatives that the packets usually contain.
Lighten it up by using ground chicken or ground turkey!
Storage and leftovers
How long does taco rice usually last?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze taco rice?
Yes, this is a great make ahead recipe for the freezer! Store the dish in a freezer safe airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven.
Either bake from frozen or thaw in the refrigerator and bake when ready. We recommend leaving the last half of the cheese off until just before baking.
Top with your favorites like fresh tomato, avocado, and olives!
Tips and tricks
✅ Use spicy rotel or add diced jalapenos to the mixture for added spice.
✅ Add in peppers and onions, corn, zucchini or black beans as desired.
✅ Top with avocado, scallions, black olives and diced tomatoes!
✅ Swap the colby jack cheese for pepper jack cheese.
✅ Try this with ground turkey, ground chicken or even chopped rotisserie chicken!
This is great as a main course or a side dish!
What to enjoy with our taco rice recipe (serving suggestions)
This easy dinner recipe is a favorite in our house and a simple one pot meal for busy weeknights. We like to whip this up with Rotel dip, Mexican corn salad, and chocolate toffee bars.
Make it with white or brown rice. Or even quinoa!
More delicious taco recipes
- Mahi Mahi tacos
- Air fryer bbq chicken tacos
- Taco casserole
- Taco soup
- Chicken taco casserole
- Pork tacos
- Taco salad recipe
- See all our great taco recipes!
Other great rice recipes
- Ham fried rice
- Baked rice
- Instant pot rice
- Red rice
- Instant pot rice pudding
- Chicken fried rice
- Coconut rice
- Fried rice
- Cauliflower rice
- See all our awesome rice recipes!
😍😍😍
Tools we love
- Enameled cast iron – Perfect for these delicious one-pot meals. From stove top to oven!
- Wooden spatula – My wooden spatulas are my absolute favorite to stir with. I don’t know why, but I feel like a real cook when I use them.
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How to Make Taco Rice
Taco Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning (1 ounce)
- 1 can rotel tomatoes (10 ounces)
- 1½ cup white rice uncooked
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
- optional toppings: sour cream, onion, olives, scallions, avocado, tomato
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet or heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Drain any excess grease, then add taco seasoning, water, and rotel to the skillet; mix well.
- Stir in rice and bring to a gentle boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking covered for 16 - 18 minutes, until rice is tender.
- Top with remaining shredded cheese and cover, just until cheese is melted. Enjoy with your favorite toppings and garnishes.
Notes
- Try cleaning out the crisper drawer by adding any leftover veggies, or toss in a bag of frozen veggies.
- Lighten it up by using ground turkey or chicken and serving with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Save money by making your own taco seasoning.
Nutrition
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Taco Rice
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Beth says
I love having all the flavor of tacos without having to deal with a shell that falls apart at the first bite. THis is fantastic!
Krystle says
Fantastic flavor so much better than anything from the store. It was the perfect base for our burrito bowls.
Allyson Zea says
I love this taco rice on taco Tuesday! A pairs perfectly with all of my Mexican inspired meals!