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Easy Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet: Best One-Pan Dinner

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A quick and easy one-pan dinner featuring seasoned ground beef, tender rice, and a blend of melted cheddar and mozzarella cheese. This comforting skillet meal comes together in about 30 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb (450g) ground beef (80/20 recommended)
  • 1 cup (200g) long-grain white rice
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups (480ml) beef broth (low-sodium preferred)
  • 1 can (14.5 oz / 411g) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cups (200g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup (100g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prep your ingredients: dice the onion, mince the garlic, and shred the cheeses.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and break it apart. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to sear, then stir and cook until no longer pink, about 5 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano. Drain excess fat if needed.
  3. Push beef to one side of the skillet. Add diced onion to the empty space and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir everything together.
  4. Sprinkle uncooked rice over the beef and onion mixture. Pour in beef broth and diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 18-20 minutes. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
  6. After 18 minutes, remove lid and check rice. It should be tender with most liquid absorbed. If still crunchy, add 2 tablespoons water, re-cover, and cook 3-5 more minutes.
  7. Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle half the cheddar and all the mozzarella over the top. Gently stir into the rice and beef mixture. Top with remaining cheddar.
  8. Cover skillet for 1-2 minutes to let cheese melt. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve hot straight from the skillet.

Notes

Don’t rinse the rice—the starch helps thicken the skillet. For a golden cheese crust, broil for 1-2 minutes after adding final cheese layer. Let skillet rest 2-3 minutes before serving. Double the batch easily by using a larger skillet and increasing cooking time by 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Keywords: ground beef and rice skillet, cheesy ground beef skillet, one-pan dinner, easy weeknight dinner, comfort food, ground beef recipe, rice skillet

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