This colourful ground Beef and Rice recipe will be a terrific addition to your ground beef recipes collection! It’s like a pilaf, except loaded with more veggies and packed with more flavour.
I’m a big fan of beef mince – it’s economical and convenient (no chopping!). And this is a great quick way make turn a packet of beef mince into a complete meal!
Ground beef and rice
Flavoured rice. Seasoned beef. AND veggies.
All made in ONE POT.
How handy is that?? This ground beef and rice recipe is a complete meal, with barely any chopping. Full of bright colours, plenty of nutrition, simple and fast to make.
And it tastes SO GOOD!!!
This ground beef and rice is a quick recipe that’s full of flavour and a complete meal in one pot!
I’m a big fan of rice in all forms. Chicken and Rice, rice soup, risotto, flavoured rices (Mexican Red Rice is a firm favourite along with Mushroom Rice!), Arancini balls.
In fact, I’m yet to meet a rice dish that I don’t like!!
But as regular readers know, I’m a rice snob. I may be Aussie, but I’ll always be a rice snob owing to my Japanese background. Dry bread and over cooked veggies I can handle.
Mushy rice – I can’t stomach it.
Rice. Snob. 🍚
So cooking rice in one pot like I do with this ground beef recipe (along with all sorts of other stuff) means getting the liquid to rice ratios right (and using the right rice) so you end up with perfectly cook fluffy grains of rice that have soaked up all that flavour.
See? Fluffy. Not soft and mushy!!!
How to make it
This is made like a pilaf, starting off by sautéing onion and garlic for the flavour base. Then the beef and capsicum/bell peppers are added, then the rice and liquids and seasoning.
Give it a good mix, plonk the lid on and leave it to do its thing.
No peeking! It’s one of the biggest rice cooking mistakes – if you peek, steam escapes which affects the rice cooking process!
We can never have enough ground beef recipes for quick dinners!
Today’s Beef and Rice recipe is intended to be a quick, no fuss (yet super tasty!) midweek meal. Hence why it’s made in one pot, with ground beef, a combination of fresh and frozen veggies and a mound of baby spinach. Minimal chopping, yet plenty of flavour, a complete meal.
No need for toppings or garnishes. I actually don’t even know what I’d dollop on top. Maybe sour cream or yoghurt. I personally don’t think it needs it because the rice is well seasoned, but it’s optional! – Nagi
PS Foodie translation: Ground beef = beef mince, though I’ve noticed some butchers in Australia nowadays are starting to call it ground beef.
PPS This recipe will work well with any ground / mince meat. Pork, chicken, turkey, even lamb.
And more One Pot Ground Beef / Mince recipes
- Cheeseburger Casserole (Homemade Hamburger Helper)
- Chili Mac – mash up of Mac and Cheese with Chilli Con Carne, so good!
- Asian Beef and Ramen Noodles – one skillet, 15 minutes
- Bolognese Orzo (Risoni)
- Taco Soup – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, it’s amazing!
- Browse all One Pot recipes and Ground Beef / Mince recipes
Beef and rice recipe
Watch how to make it
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Beef and Rice with Veggies
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , diced (any type)
- 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , diced (large)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 500 g / 1 lb ground beef (mince) , lean
- 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH cumin, black pepper
- 1 tsp each onion powder, dried oregano (or other herb of choice)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 1/4 cups / 225g long grain white rice (uncooked) (Note 1)
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef broth , low sodium
- 2 cups / 300g diced frozen veggies (I used corn, pea, carrot mix) (Note 2)
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach (~ 90g/3 oz) , or other leafy greens (Note 3)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add onion, capsicum and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add beef, cook until brown, breaking it up as you go.
- Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Turn heat down to medium. Add rice and beef broth, mix well. Add frozen veggies and bay leaf, then stir.
- Place lid on, lower heat to medium low so it's simmering gently. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes (might even take longer) until all liquid is absorbed (tilt pot to check). The rice should be just cooked, but will be wet.
- Remove from heat. Quickly toss spinach on top of the rice and put the lid back on. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Fluff rice and mix through wilted spinach with a fork. Adjust salt if desired. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
I drive 100km to the outskirts of Sydney just to take Dozer to this dog wizard, Neil Barnsley of Animal Holistic Therapies. “Enthusiastic” playing + abnormally long legs for a Golden Retriever + being double jointed = regular “active dog” injuries. Whereas conventional vets order costly X-rays (that are only useful if they know where the injury is) or being unable to provide an exact diagnosis, will give a general instruction to keep him quiet (easier said than done!!!), Neil Barnsley has a 100% hit rate in pinpointing exactly where and what Dozer’s ligament/joint/muscle injuries are, through touch alone.
It’s fascinating to watch. Truly a dog genius. And (much) better value than normal vets too – a standard consult is $60, and there’s no expensive medication or Xray costs because he’s a natural therapist!
PS Yes that’s Dozer getting acupuncture. Not even I’VE had acupuncture!!!!🤣
2 cups of water for for 1.25 cups of rice?!?!?
That’s just never going to be enough!
Had to add an extra cup.
Can you take out any of the ingredients out and the dish still taste good
I made this last night and my sons and I loved it. I will be making this again!
Great Eileen!!!
Hi Nagi. Delicious recipe. I usually find something to make from your site. Actually quite a few recipes. Wld love to see more vegetarian recipes. Thanks.
Hi Isabel, Thanks so much for the feedback – will take it on board ☺️
Made a couple substitutions to use what I had – namely cut up chicken instead of the beef and fresh tomato instead of the paste. I also had to halve the salt, but I think that’s cause I use smaller grain salt.
It was delicious and everyone loved it, even my four year old (though she picked out all the mixed veggies cause she only likes spinach)
Woah sounds like you nailed it Becca!
Is it compulsory to add the spinach
Not at all, just leave it out if you prefer Andy! ☺️
This is my first time making this, it’s on the stove now. Just made a couple tweaks.. instead of the tomato paste I used about 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, each cut in half. Put them in early so they’d have time to get the flavor around. Didn’t have any leafy greens so I just added some green onions and fresh parsley towards the end. It’s looking and smelling amazing! Great recipe, thanks Magi!
This is my first time making this, it’s on the stove now. Just made a couple tweaks.. instead of the tomato paste I used about 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, each cut in half. Put them in early so they’d have time to get the flavor around. Didn’t have any leafy greens so I just added some green onions and fresh parsley towards the end. It’s looking and smelling amazing! Great recipe, thanks Magi!
I hope it was great Josie! – N x
2 cups of water for for 1.25 cups of rice?!?!?
That’s just never going to be enough!
Had to add an extra cup.
Another great recipe Nagi, cooked as per the recipe – perfect, wouldn’t change a thing.
Woot! Great Lynda ❤️
I made this in my instant pot and added Yves plant based burger.
Easy and very good
Great to hear Daisy!
I made this in my instant pot and kept getting the burn warning. Any suggestions?
I would imagine it has to do with the rice. I would put the rice in last and don’t stir it in. I do this with another rice instant pot recipe and it turns out perfect.
How did you make it in your instant pot?
I love this recipe for using up leftover fresh veggies from other meals! I had some pumpkin and some bok choy left in the fridge, so I chucked that in. Anything goes! I also use brown rice – Cook the brown rice in the beef broth & a little extra water for 15 minutes before adding it all into the pot and it turns out perfectly.
Another great recipe Nagi 🙂
Yesssss! Great!
Hi 🙂 Do you usually wash the rice? Thanks
Hi Heather, no I don’t wash the rice for this recipe ☺️
sorry, what does “Asiany” taste like? pls clarify.
Today is the second time that I have made this dish. It’s so good that my husband had thirds! He’s usually not a big eater. I have to leave out some of the spices because of the husband. It will be something we will be eating quite regularly
That’s great to hear Sharon!
Today is a cold snowy day in Missouri, so I needed something quick, easy and filling to fix for lunch after finishing chores. I confess that I was worried that my Hubby (who is a plain meat and potatoes fan) would not like this, but he thought it was very good! I followed the recipe to the letter. My rice wasn’t quite done enough for me, but the flavor was perfect. It makes so much that I froze some to have at a later date when in a hurry. Recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I’m so glad Hubby loved it! It’s the perfect freezer meal!
Made this dish for dinner tonight and it was awesome! Followed the recipe completely except for the addition of a couple serrano peppers for some spice. Only had corn as a frozen veggie and that was perfectly fine, no need for the addition of multiple frozen veggies. Highly recommend this