Savory Tooth

Simple Tasty Recipes

Southwest Ground Beef & Rice Skillet

Updated Published Jul 28, 2017 By 6 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:
This is a fast and easy weeknight recipe for a cheesy ground beef dinner with vegetables and avocado. Just one pan is needed, and it only takes 30 minutes total to prep and cook. With delicious Southwestern flavors, it's a family favorite among low carb beef dinners.
southwest beef and rice served in white bowl

Southwest Beef & Rice

4.7 from 3 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound ground beef (Note 1)
  • 1.5 cups cauliflower rice (Note 2)
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup diced red onion (Note 3)
  • 1/2 cup corn (Note 4)
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (1 cup)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 large avocado, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (Note 5)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cook Beef: Heat large high-sided pan (Note 6) over medium-high heat until hot, a few minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled, constantly stirring to break it apart, a few minutes. Keep beef and grease in pan (Note 7).
  • Cook Veggies: Stir in bell pepper, onion, salt, and cayenne until well-mixed, about a minute. Stir in cauliflower rice and tomato sauce, cooking until cauliflower rice is tender, a few minutes.
  • Add Finishings & Serve: Turn off heat. Stir in corn. Gradually distribute cheese shreds over pan as you stir them in until melted. Stir in avocado chunks, and serve (Note 8).

NUTRITION

Makes 5 Servings
Amount Per Serving (1.75 cups):
Calories 420 (57% from fat)  
Total Fat 27g 41%
   Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 490mg 20%
Net Carb 8.5g  
Total Carb 13.5g 5%
   Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
   Sugars 5.5g  
Protein 31g  
Vitamin A 26% · Vitamin C 89% · Calcium 21% · Iron 17%

PHOTOS

southwest beef and rice served in white bowl
southwest beef and rice cooking in pan
stirring southwest ground beef and rice
southwest beef and rice served in white bowl

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Ground Beef. I use 80% lean. Don’t have beef? Use ground turkey or pork.
(2) Cauliflower Rice. Same as 6 ounces weight. You can use fresh or frozen. To prepare cauliflower rice, it’s easiest to buy bags of pre-riced cauliflower in the produce section or freezer aisle of U.S. grocery stores — less work than grating cauliflower florets by hand.
(3) Red Onion. About 1 small or 1/2 large onion. You can substitute this with your favorite type of onion.
(4) Corn. You can use fresh or frozen.
(5) Cayenne. This amount results in a barely spicy to mild dish. Adjust as needed to match your preferences.
(6) Pan. I use a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan with 3-inch tall sides, with a 5-quart capacity. I don’t add any oil to grease the pan.
(7) Reserving Grease. I keep the grease in the pan as I’m cooking the vegetables in the next step. If you use ground beef that is less than 80% lean, you may want to drain some of the grease before cooking the veggies to avoid an overly greasy final dish.
(8) Serving. Serve this dish with a dollop of sour cream, low carb tortillas (like Mission brand), crispy fried jalapeño slices, or low carb jalapeño poppers. If you have leftovers, cover and store them in the refrigerator. Reheat using the microwave.
(9) Number of Servings. You can halve or double the ingredients proportionally. If you’re halving the recipe, use a smaller 10-inch pan. If you’re doubling, use a 6-quart pot and you may need to increase the cooking times slightly.

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About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes in a user-friendly format. She typically prefers savory foods over sweet, hence the name of the site.

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newest oldest most voted
Beth Camero

Needs a little cumin, otherwise a nice, easy, delicious recipe as usual!

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3 years ago
Laurel

One skillet meals are a staple…add a salad and french bread and it’s a full company ready meal! We do many of your recipes like this and serve with cloth napkins so everyone feels special.

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6 years ago
C Edmonds

Great dish! I love that it’s healthy, low carb and tasty. I couldn’t resist adding fire roasted tomatoes and Great Northern white beans to the dish. Perfect for two – I don’t have to cook tomorrow night!

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4 months ago
Nettie

This is very good. My grandkids liked it so much that they had second servings.

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5 years ago
Celeste

Can I use regular rice in this recipe, instead of cauliflower rice?

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3 years ago
Julia

Yes, you can use regular rice. Easiest way would be to use cooked rice, so that you can add it in without changing other parts of the recipe. If you’re using uncooked rice, you would need to add some liquid in order to cook the rice.

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3 years ago
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