Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Mexican Ground Beef Casserole with Rice (Beef mince!)
Beef and rice under melted cheese make a generous dinner to spoon into bowls. Corn and beans give it plenty of bite, with warm spices running through the tomato-rich rice. Add the final green onion garnish and bring it over while the cheese is soft.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 5
- Ingredients
- 19 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef · Beans & lentils
- Cuisine
- Tex-Mex · Mexican
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Casseroles · Rice dishes
A few quick notes
1. Break up the beef
Cook the beef with the softened onion and garlic, breaking it apart until no raw meat remains before adding spices.
2. Simmer gently under cover
Once the rice mixture simmers, cover and lower the heat to medium-low for the fifteen-minute cooking stage.
3. Divide the cheese
Quickly stir half the cheese through with green onion, then smooth the top and cover it with the remaining cheese.
Get to know the ingredients
Long-grain white rice
Uncooked long-grain white rice is preferred. Several white-rice varieties work, but brown, wild and risotto rice are excluded here.
Drained cans
Drain the canned corn and beans before adding them with the rice so their packing liquid does not join the broth.
Melting cheese
Cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack and Colby are among the melting cheeses allowed. Shred the cheese before dividing it between filling and top.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 5. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 10 steps completeMake room for Mexican Ground Beef Casserole with Rice (Beef mince!)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Melt and serve
Cover the cheese-topped rice for one minute to melt the topping, then serve immediately with more green onion if desired.
A little more help as you go
Cook the spices briefly
Give the spice mixture thirty seconds with the beef before adding pepper, tomato paste and broth to the pot.
Cayenne to taste
You can increase the cayenne or leave it out. The listed amount is barely noticeable across the full dish.
A few questions you might have
Can I use frozen corn?
You can use one-and-three-quarter cups of frozen corn instead of the drained can, added with the rice and beans.
Are other beans allowed?
The ingredient list allows other beans instead of black beans. Drain them before adding them to the pot.
Can I use quinoa for the rice?
As written, this recipe doesn't work with quinoa, brown rice or wild rice.
How should I keep leftovers?
Refrigerate for three days and reheat in the microwave. Freezing hasn't been tested.
When does the bell pepper go in?
Cook the diced bell pepper for one minute after the spices, before adding tomato paste, broth and the rice mixture.
Any more cooking tips?
1. Rice – recipe works best with long grain white rice. Will also work with medium or short white rice grain, “standard” (unspecified) white rice, jasmine or basmati rice. Recipe as written won’t work with: brown rice, wild rice, risotto, paella rice, quinoa. 2. Corn – can also use frozen, 1 3/4 cups. 3. Cheese – use anything that melts! Cheddar, mozzarella, tasty, Monterey Jack, Colby. 4. Cayenne adds spiciness, this amount across a vast volume of rice is barely noticeable. Increase or eliminate if desired. 5. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge, reheat in microwave. I haven’t tried freezing but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze ok! 6. Nutrition per serving, this is quite a generous serving (about 2 packed cups, and it’s dense so very filling!). Every cup of cheese adds 100 calories per serving, so if you want to cut back on calories, halve the cheese (don’t skip completely!).
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: recipetineats.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
