Beef and Rice with Veggies

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

Author: Nagi

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 25 mins

Main, Side

Western

4.93 from 69 votes

Servings5

Tap or hover to scale

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Recipe video above. Ground beef cooked with seasoned rice and plenty of veggies - kind of like a pilaf or fried rice! This dish is not spicy - the cayenne pepper just adds a touch of warmth, not spiciness. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion , diced (any type)
• ▢ 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , diced (large)
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 500g (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:

1. RICE - Best made with white long grain rice for fluffiest outcome. Medium grain is the next best, then short grain or sushi rice (still great, just less pilaf-like). Basmati and jasmine will also work but will take about 5 minutes longer to cook. Not suited to brown rice (takes too long too cook), risotto or paella rice. Not yet tested with quinoa or other rice subs!

2. IMPORTANT: You can sub the frozen with more chopped fresh veggies. But if you opt to use fresh instead of frozen veggies, add 1/4 cup of water to the rice (frozen veg adds water as it melts).

3. LEAFY GREENS: This can be substituted with any leafy greens that wilts quite easily. It will even work with torn kale (remove from the stems) or leafy part of Asian greens. Roughly chop, then use per recipe. PS Asian greens don't taste "Asiany"!

4. RICE FIRMNESS: This recipe makes al dente fluffy rice (ie tender and fluffy). If you like your rice softer, add 1/4 cup of water to the rice.

5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 350gCalories: 418cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 29g (58%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Cholesterol: 62mg (21%)Sodium: 936mg (41%)Potassium: 947mg (27%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 7885IU (158%)Vitamin C: 45.1mg (55%)Calcium: 64mg (6%)Iron: 4.2mg (23%)

Keywords: Beef and rice, Ground beef and rice, Ground beef recipe

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PS Yes that’s Dozer getting acupuncture. Not even I’VE had acupuncture!!!!🤣