When time is something you don’t have, but you want something delicious and flavorful for dinner, THIS is the recipe you need! The Quick Taco Rice Bowl is only 6 ingredients and comes together in less than 12 minutes! It’s filling and makes enough for the family! This is your week-night go-to!
Mexican food is a favorite in our household. I’m not going to say its always ‘authentic’ but I can say it always tastes good and has some of the staple elements of traditional Mexican fare: cilantro, cumin, fiesta cheese, lime juice, beans, or rice! This recipe is a great, easy option for a good Mexican dish. Having taco meat already seasoned with taco seasoning makes this a cinch. Minute Rice makes life so easy because you aren’t waiting on traditional rice to cook. You can easily add in or substitute out a lot of ingredients in this dish to personalize it to your families liking!
What is Instant Rice?
Instant rice is rice that has been precooked. The type we use is dehydrated so that it can cook more rapidly. Because it has already been cooked, all that is necessary to prepare instant rice is to simply microwave it or re-hydrate it with hot water. We specifically choose Minute Rice because it is gluten-free, no preservatives, vegan, has NO MSG, and is Non-GMO Project Verified.
Ingredients for our Quick Taco Rice Bowl:
- Canned Corn
- Salsa
- Lime
- Minute Rice
- Taco meat, prepared
- Shredded Cheese
How to make our Quick Taco Rice Bowl:
First, measure out water, salsa, and lime juice. Combine all three into a large pan and bring to a boil.
Once the mixture begins to boil, stir in 3 cups of instant rice. Remove the pan from the heat and cover for 5 minutes. You are looking for all of the liquid to be absorbed.
Fluff rice with fork and bring back to stove top over low heat.
Stir in the warmed taco meat and cheese and cook until cheese is melted throughout.
Enjoy!
What can I substitute?
Meat: ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork! In the freezer section of most grocery stores, you can find pre-made taco meat so it makes this even more hassle free! We brown ground beef and mix it with our Homemade Taco Seasoning!
Rice: If you don’t have minute rice on hand, you can always substitute regular rice that is already cooked. Add 3 cups of cooked rice to 1 cup of salsa, add all the other ingredients and fully heat through and enjoy!
Salsa: We prefer to use a nice and chunky salsa because it adds a great amount of texture to the dish. You can easily use any salsa, pico de gallo, or a can of Ro*tel if you prefer!
This is a great one dish dinner that is sure to please the entire family. It reheats great so my husband loves taking this as leftovers to work. Wrap it up in a tortilla or be sure adventurous and throw it in your morning eggs! I even throw it over a big salad and add a delicious jalapeño ranch dressing.
Love fresh and simple recipes??! Subscribe to our emails below and we will send them straight to your inbox!
Quick Taco Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 Can of yellow Corn, drained
- 1 cup chunky salsa (More to garnish before serving if wanted)
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 3 cups instant, such as Minute Rice
- 1 pound cooked taco meat, seasoned with taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups taco cheese blend, shredded
- Garnish if wanted: green onions, sour cream, guacamole, avocado, diced tomatoes, extra cheese.
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pan, place water, salsa, and lime juice in it. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add 3 cups of minute rice and stir. Remove from heat and allow water to be absorbed for 5 minutes.
- Once water is absorbed, add seasoned, cooked taco meat and cheese. Stir and cook on medium heat until heated through.
- Garnish with green onions, avocado, cilantro - anything that suits your preference!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 469Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1051mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 7gSugar: 6gProtein: 19g
(Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)