This Mexican rice skillet is a one pot meal you’ll make again and again. Especially because you can make it in under 30 minutes!
I am kind of in love with skillet dinners lately. They are so quick and easy to make, plus you can change them up in so many different ways. Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet was the start of it. Everything cooks on one pan, so the prep and clean up are so easy!
Mexican food is one of our favorites, and this Enchilada Pasta Skillet is another wining one pan meal at our house. One of the things I love about Mexican food at restaurants is the rice. So I decided to throw it all together, rice, meat, and everything else into a skillet and make a tasty dinner for the whole family.
Skillet dinners are great because you only get one pan dirty, and dinner is ready in about 25 minutes. On busy weeknights when getting dinner on the table is a struggle, you don’t want to have a ton of clean up to do after dinner. So, one pan dinners are ideal.
What You’ll Need
- Ground Beef
- Onion
- Taco Seasoning
- Corn Kernels (black beans make a great addition as well)
- Salsa
- Long Grain Wild Rice
- Chicken Broth
- Rotel Tomatoes
- Cheddar Cheese
You can use Homemade Taco Seasoning and my favorite Restaurant Style Salsa to cut down on store bought items if that is important to you.
Mexican rice skillet is so easy to customize to your families taste. I used corn kernels in mine, but you can use black beans if your family likes them. You can switch up the protein if you want too.
Can I Use Something Other Than Ground Beef?
Absolutely! We always have ground beef in the freezer so it is easy to grab, but you can really use anything.
- Ground Turkey
- Ground Chicken
- Any meat substitute
What Toppings To Use
Whatever your favorite taco toppings are would be great! Here are a few of our favorites.
- Diced Avocado
- Black Olives
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sour Cream
- Jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Homemade Guacamole
- Fire Roasted Salsa
I have even seen it made with cauliflower rice before. So it is very flexible to what you have and the diet you are following.
How to Make Mexican Rice Skillet
- Brown the meat. Doesn’t matter what protein your are using you want to cook the meat and onions together until the onions are soft and the meat is cooked. Mix in the taco seasoning until everything is coated.
- Next you mix in the corn, salsa, uncooked rice, tomatoes, and the chicken stock. Everything gets mixed together and then you bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cover to let it cook. For the rice to cook properly you need to make sure the lid is on, this creates steam which helps the rice cook.
- Once the rice is cooked you top with cheese and let it melt. Then it is time to top how you like and serve!
Storage
Got leftovers? Don’t worry, this reheats really well for lunches. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

What To Serve With Mexican Rice
And if you like Mexican flavors be sure to check out One Pan Southwest Chicken Skillet. It is a similar idea to this one with chicken and it is oh so good! Or Southwest Baked Chicken if for a recipe with just 4 ingredients! I mean, you can’t get any easier.

More One Pan Dinner Ideas
- One Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Sausage & Rice Skillet
- Cheesy Skillet Chili Mac
- Creamy Chicken and Rice
- Spicy Garlic Shrimp
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
- Cheesy Sausage Pasta
- Pizza Chicken
Mexican Rice Skillet

This Mexican rice skillet is a one pot meal you'll make again and again. Especially because you can make it in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Toppings
- Black Olives
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat brown grown beef, breaking apart. Add onions, and cook until soft. Stir in taco seasoning until the meat is evenly coated.
- Add corn kernels, salsa, rice, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through, and most
of the liquid is absorbed. - Sprinkle cheese over the top of the dish. Cover and heat until cheese is melted.
- Top with desired toppings to serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 417Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 98mgSodium 1017mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 33g
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.
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Melissa says
My boys love rice! This looks delish.
Amanda Paa says
this looks so good! i know my boyfriend would love it. plus one skillet meals are the best.
Cookin Canuck says
I adore skillet recipes and love how easy this one is to throw together!
Taylor @ greens & chocolate says
I love skillet dinners too! This one looks right up my alley!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
Love this skillet dish. It would be perfect with fajitas or enchiladas.
Carla (@charliesue) says
So simple! Love this!
Bethany says
Would you need to do anything different if you omit the ground beef?
Erin S says
I have not made it that way, so I can’t say for sure. You probably want to replace with something – beans or meat substitute. The taco seasoning would be the only thing you would worry about. If you aren’t flavoring the meat, it might be strong. You could start with less, and then taste to see if you need it all.
Dee Thomas says
This looks delicious. Any idea what a serving size is and how many Carbs there are?
Erin S says
The recipe serves about 5 people. I do not know the carb counts, sorry! You could put the ingredients in an online calculator and divide by 5. Each brand is so different with counts, so if you are watching those closely it would probably best to use the numbers of the products you use.
Erin S says
Dee – the site I shared this recipe on calculates nutrition information. Here is the link https://www.foodfanatic.com/recipes/mexican-rice-skillet-recipe/ I am not sure what brands or anything they use, but that may help.
Mary K Atkins says
I made this recipe just as posted and everyone liked it. I will make again. Easy and delish.
Dorothy Reinhold says
This will spice up Taco Tuesday this week! I love how easy it is. All the perfect toppings too!
Cathy says
This is one of our favorite one pan meals! SO easy and delicious!
katerina @ diethood.com says
YUM!! This Mexican rice skillet sounds incredibly delicious!!
Toni says
This was really a huge hit at our house!! Can’t wait to make it again!
Carrie Robinson says
Yum! Definitely adding this to my weekly dinner rotation soon. 🙂
Sara Welch says
This was such a great recipe; even my picky eaters loved it! Looking forward to enjoying this again for dinner tomorrow night!
Beth says
This stuff is so good! I made it for Taco Tuesday, and I’ll be making it again this coming Tuesday. Everyone loved it so much.
Amanda says
Our family loves Mexican food. This will definitely be added to the weekly rotation!
Sandra says
This is really good! Everyone at my house enjoyed it!
Amanda says
My kids loved this dinner! And it was so easy to put together.
Allyson Zea says
This mexican rice skillet is so delicious for dinner!