Skillet Dinner with Hamburger Rice and Tomatoes

Hamburger rice casserole is a quick, delicious dinner that’s cooked entirely on the stovetop. This one-pot cheesy casserole is a flavor-packed supper your family will love, and you don’t even have to turn on the oven. No need to cook the rice, it cooks right with the ground beef.

 

The Best One Pot Hamburger and Rice Casserole

Packed with savory ground beef, colorful veggies, and gooey cheese, this easy beef casserole is a comfort food dish you can have on the table in 40 minutes. It takes very little prep time and uses ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Best of all you cook the entire dish in one skillet.

You’ll instantly become a fan of one-pot casseroles after you try this recipe. Clean-up takes minutes! Seriously. And the combination of ground beef and rice makes this a budget-friendly casserole that can easily feed your whole family, plus leave leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Feeling more like Tex-Mex, try a one-pot taco spaghetti where like the rice, the pasta cooks with the sauce.

Keep some ground beef in your freezer for those nights when you need an easy beef casserole, you’ll have everything you need. I love adding fresh spinach to this dish, but it’s still delicious without the spinach and the rest of the ingredients you can easily keep on hand in your pantry.

You’ll build flavor as you go in this dish starting with ground beef and then adding peppers, onions and garlic for a base. Add more interest with tomatoes and don’t leave out the Worcestershire sauce. Throw in some spinach with the rice and it will all simmer together creating a complete meal in one skillet.

Why You’ll Love This Ground Beef Casserole

Unbeatable Flavor: This casserole brings together the savory goodness of ground beef, and builds flavor from there.

Quick and Convenient: No need for oven time! This recipe is a time-saver (20 minutes is just simmering time) with simple steps that keep the cooking process straightforward. Perfect for busy weeknights when your kids have commitments or for hosting friends when you don’t want to spend all night in the kitchen.

One-pot Dinner: Clean ups a breeze!

Casserole Ingredients

Ground beef: For the most flavor, use ground beef with some fat and then drain the grease. I prefer an 80/20 mix. You could substitute ground turkey or chicken.

Onion: White or yellow onion will work well in this recipe.

Red bell pepper: You can use other colors or a blend. Keep in mind that red, yellow, and orange peppers will add sweetness and green peppers will add a stronger flavor.

Fresh baby spinach: Choose spinach that’s bright green without wilted leaves or brown spots. 

Rotel Tomatoes & Green Chilies: Grab a can of these for a zesty kick, it will not make the dish spicy but just adds flavor. You can substitute diced tomatoes.

Long-grain rice: You’ll need to use long-grain white rice for this recipe. Instant rice will not work but you can use basmati or any type of rice as long as it’s not instant.

Pepper jack cheese: I like the bit of spice pepper Jack offers, but you can replace the cheese with any variety you like best. Monterey Jack, Mozzarella or sharp cheddar cheese are good options

Cayenne pepper: This makes the dish a bit spicy but if you want to make it milder, leave out the cayenne.

Pantry Staples: Garlic, Salt, black pepper, tomato paste (not tomato sauce), Worcestershire, beef broth.

How to Make This Easy Ground Beef Casserole

Step 1. Prep the ingredients.

Before you begin cooking, take a couple of minutes to prep your ingredients. Open your cans and get your ingredients out of the fridge and cupboard. Chop the onion and red peppers, and mince the garlic.

Step 2. Brown the ground beef.

Set a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and allow it to fully cook until there’s no pink left. Carefully drain the grease.

Step 3. Add the veggies.

Add the chopped onions and peppers to the hamburger and allow them to cook until soft. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the fresh spinach. Cook the spinach until it’s wilted.

Step 4. Cook the casserole.

Next, add the can of Rotel tomatoes (don’t drain it, just dump it in with all the juices), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and broth. Stir everything together well, and add the uncooked rice.

Bring the entire pot to a boil, cover, then turn the heat down to low. You want the skillet to continue to bubble at the lowest heat possible so the rice cooks slowly without boiling away the liquid in the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.

Top with cheese, then cover again. Let it cook for another 2 minutes and it should be melted. Remove the casserole from the heat and serve.

Can I Substitute Brown Rice for Long Grain Rice in this Recipe?

Absolutely! You can swap long-grain rice for brown rice, but remember that brown rice generally requires a longer cooking time. You may have to cook for 25-27 minutes, and you might need to add more broth as it cooks. Keep an eye on it, and make sure to add hot broth to the pot, not cold.

A Few Recipe Notes

• It’s important to let your casserole simmer at the lowest possible temperature. Try it on low or simmer. Watch through the lid to make sure the liquid is still bubbling. If the casserole stops boiling, increase the temperature slowly until you find the sweet spot.
• Rice always cooks best when you don’t open the lid. This recipe is no different. After you place the lid on the casserole, try not to remove it until 20 minutes is up. Check it, and if the water isn’t fully absorbed, set the lid back on the pot and wait a few more minutes. Try your rice, and if it’s cooked but there’s still water in the pot, give it a stir to help the water evaporate. Leave the lid off for a minute or two, and the water should disappear.
• You can make this with ground chicken and chicken broth instead for a different flavor.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.