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
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
- 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:
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!!!!🤣
Made this tonight with my 10 year old daughter. We loved it and it was so quick and easy. Lots of yummy flavours, very satisfying indeed. YUM! Thank you Nagi, we will be trying a few more of your recipes this week.
Aww love hearing that your daughter helped! Junior Masterchef!! N x
Shared this with a friend and we both agreed: Nagi, you are a Genius! Thank you for another terrific recipe …Oh yes, my husband made this again for the family… and we all LOVED it !!
OK, I should be all humble and gracious but I can’t help it, I’m sitting here at the coffee shop grinning away!! N xx
This is superb. I made it tonight and everybody wanted seconds! We had it with a little bit of grated cheese and yoghurt on top. Yum yum yum. We’ll be having this on a regular basis, thank you Nagi!
Yesssss! So glad you enjoyed it Samina! N xx
Hi Nagi, we are a household of two, can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes! Freezes so great, microwave with cling wrap to reheat 🙂 N x
This simple dish made for a pretty flavorful lunch
I used Jasmine rice and cooked it for 18 minutes to get the texture just right. Thanks for such a tasty 1-pot recipe!
FANTASTIC to hear Deanna!! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this 🙂 N xx
One of the things I love about your site (apart from the recipes!) is the fact that you answer questions and comments. So many other sites leave you hanging and I wonder if the person asking a question, (eg: do you rinse the rice first?) ever hear back. So a very big thanks for that. Now to go cook some Ground Beef and Rice!
Hugs to you and Dozer.
You’re so welcome Susan! It’s one of my main priorities on this site – to answer questions! N xx
Can I use a packet of taco seasoning in place of the separate seasonings?
I haven’t tried that Joy, sorry!
Amazing. I followed the recipe to the T and added the 1/4th extra cup because I used fresh carrots.
When I was starting to serve my husband’s plate he looked at me and said: It’s funny how you always give me too much rice. That’s fine. No more, please!
Ten minutes later or so he is done with his plate and going to the kitchen to get more of the rice!!!
He immediately set aside some for tomorrow’s lunch.
Since I discovered your site, I have tried 3 recipes and LOVED all of them.
Your explanations and notes, along with your amazing writing which is entertaining as well as instructional are highly professional.
I am teacher and I know only people that care take the time to go the extra mile. Congratulations and I will continue trying your recipes! 🙂
From Missouri, USA
I’m so glad you found me Gabriela! And more importantly that you are enjoying my recipes! N xx
I made this last week, and we loved it. I was gone for the weekend, and my husband had a big bowl of it every day. Nagi, you truly are one of my very favorite food bloggers! I’m a decent enough home cook, having cooked meals for our four kids for a few decades, but they are now out of the house, and I’m tired of most of the old recipes. So I am trying new ones–and now I’m learning tricks from a young woman living in Australia! Your photos pull me in, your directions are exact, and your seasonings are spot on. I print out your recipes to try, make notes on the page (like which of my pans works best, or whether to adjust amounts slightly), and keep them in a binder. Thanks for being my new cooking instructor…your recipes never fail.
LOVE hearing that Lori!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Hi Nagi! I have been a lover of your recipes since the day I discovered your site. I have some bok choy on hand, would the leafy part be a good substitute for the spinach?
Thanks 🙂
Michelle
It will be a brilliant sub for the spinach! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi!
Loved this recipe! It was a really great one – fast, customisable (I used turkey mince and a bunch of leftover veggies in the crisper), easy, and ONE POT! always love a good one pot meal. Anyway, you nailed it as always 😊.
Awww Dozer, I’d be eyeing off the Vegemite toast too!
LOVE hearing that Rachel!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
I just sat down to watch the video again… this time with a bowl of the stuff right in front of me for comparison, and I felt so proud of myself! I had to leave out the cayenne, because I’m very sensitive to hot stuff, but it still gives off plenty of warmth through the pepper, and is honestly perfect for the cold weather we’re having. Thank you for sharing another lovely recipe! You never disappoint!
I’m so glad to hear that Einzel! You clearly NAILED IT!!! N xx
Nagi, you are an alchemist! In a way of sorts I suppose.
It’s good, it’s good for you, it helps your well being…
See?
This is REALLY good. REALLY good! Did I say “REALLY GOOD!???”
😂
I live in Canada, in the province of British Columbia and have fallen in love with your recipes—-ALL of them! I look forward to my emails from you. My husband loves the Salisbury steak recipe and so do I! Thanks so much for the economy and the easily available ingredients. Love that Dozer! Barb
Ohhh! I love hearing that Barb, thanks so much for letting me know! (Both the FOOD and DOZER!) N x
Nagi,
I’m also an advocate of acupuncture, very effective. In CA, we just don’t have that sort of therapy for pets, regardless of centuries of effectiveness for humans. We’re decades behind in alternative complementary medicine for our pets.
This recipe looks great, just one question. You browned the beef but didn’t drain the fat. Is that because you’re using very lean, low-fat beef (like a custom-ground chuck) or does the oil from the beef add to the overall flavor and doesn’t need to be drained because of all the veg and rice, which should absorb a great deal.? I can’t decide which is better, so if you can, I’d love to hear back about this. I could just give it a try, but honestly, ground beef here in the states is never really the best available. Should I go for the custom chuck-ground? Pricier, but who cares if it makes a super-easy and tasty dinner? Thanks, Flap/CA
Hi FLAP! To be honest, I would not drain the fat even if I didn’t use lean beef because fat is where the flavour is! In all honesty, if you mixed beef fat with pork meat, you would swear you were eating beef 🙂 But if your beef is very fatty then yes by all means, drain some of the fat! N x
Just checking do we wash the rice first before we add it to the pot? Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hi Geni! I don’t because rice here in Australia is sold in packets and it’s clean, and because I use long grain starch, excess starch doesn’t need to be rinsed off because it’s not a sticky rice 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi
Thanks for another great recipe. We just loved this one too. Quick and easy to make after work and very tasty. I was lucky that I got the leftovers to take to work for lunch. Thanks Liz xx
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Liz! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x ❤️
Made this for dinner tonight and my partner almost finished the whole pot on his own 😂. I added some chopped chorizo for extra zing. Thanks for the stellar recipe Nagi! x
CHORIZO!!!! Slam dunk! 🙌🏻
Yum, yum, yum! There are few meals that my whole family all will eat. This was another one of your recipes that I can cook without complaints. Thank you 🙂
I absolutely love hearing that!!! I’m so pleased, thanks for letting me know Kristina! N x
So simple and cheap but an amazing recipe! I made this last night and this is the only time in 33 years of marriage that I have witnessed my wife go for seconds!
I’m going to have another go tomorrow night with Pork Mince because I’ve still got 500ml of stock left over.
WOW OH WOW! You rockstar John! 🤩