Wednesday Eats and Treats: Southwestern Beef and Rice

Southwestern Beef and Rice

This began  as a simple skillet meal. Rather than cooking rice with the other ingredients, I prefer to cook my rice separately, ladle the beef mixture over the rice, and top with cheese, picadillo, or peppers. Any extra quantity can be frozen.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients
2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 10 ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 cups frozen or canned corn
2 cups frozen or canned green beans (or rinsed black beans)
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6 cups of cooked white rice (Begin with 2 cups uncooked rice.)
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Toppings, as desired
Shredded cheddar cheese
Picante sauce
Pico de gallo
Sliced jalapenos
Sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook rice in saucepan.
2. While rice is cooking, in a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion with chili powder and   cumin. 
3. Add tomatoes, corn and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. If you want an all-in-one skillet meal, you can stir in the rice, top with 2 cups of cheddar cheese, and cover the skillet. Let stand for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
5. I prefer to dish up the rice on plates, ladle the meat mixture over the rice, and let everyone use the toppings of his or her choice.
6. Serve with chips or flour tortillas.
7. Leftovers make great lunches or can be frozen.