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Tex-Mex Skillet Dinner
 
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 6
A great one pan meal when you're just too tired to cook, add a salad, garlic or corn bread, and dinner is done. It's very budget and kid friendly. You can double it and freeze half for another night. I always make this the day before we go camping for our first nights dinner. I bring flour tortillas, and containers of sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, cilantro, and salsa; we make burritos with it. Just heat it on the camp stove or over the fire and you have an easy, filling meal after setting up camp.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 -3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 -3 tablespoons mild chili powder, to taste (or 3 - 4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix)
1 1/4 cups vegetable juice (i use a 11.5 ounce can of v8 juice you can also use plain tomato juice)
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 -2 teaspoon oregano, dried (crumble in your palm)
1 -1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt (if using chili mix, check seasoning before adding salt)
1/2 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
1 (11 ounce) can canned corn niblets, drained (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (or your favorite)
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute onion, peppers, and garlic, stirring frequently, about 3 - 4 minutes, remove to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add ground beef to the same skillet, breaking it into pieces, and saute until no longer pink; drain off excess fat if desired; add chili powder, (or chili seasoning mix), and reserved sauteed vegetables; stir well to combine.
3. Add V8 juice (or tomato juice if using), undrained kidney beans, oregano, cumin, salt, and rice; stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a simmer, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until rice is cooked. (check half way through making sure mixture is not sticking, add a little water if necessary).
4. Stir in corn and olives; cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover just until the cheese is melted.
6. NOTE: This recipe is very forgiving, it's hard to mess it up. I usually adjust the seasonings according to how much ground beef I am using, You can add more or less spices to suit your taste, substitute black beans for kidney beans. more onion, less peppers, a jalapeno, etc - Just make sure you add enough juice to cook the rice (you may want to check after about 10 - 15 minutes and, if needed add some more juice or water). The above measurements work well for 1 pound of ground beef. I tend to use the larger measure of spices, (sometimes more), it just depends on your taste. It makes a great filling for burritos.
By RecipeOfHealth.com