Mexican Rice

Is it possible that I haven't ever posted this??  It's a family staple.  We have as often as every other week, probably, since I have all these ingredients on hand dependably.  It's ready to eat in less than 40 minutes, and something that everybody in the family devours (except Clara, but she will soon!)  Both versions are yummy, and there are pros and cons to both.  I have done all kinds of variations, including using chorizo or ground pork instead of hamburger, chili beans instead of black beans, fresh tomatoes or any version of canned (including additional sauce or crushed tomatoes).  This last time I even threw in handfuls of finely-chopped spinach at the very end for extra nutrition, and it actually made it prettier to eat!

The original recipe is here, and used to be on the back of the Rice-a-roni box.  Travis originally made this in college, and I think it was his adaptation to eat it with tortilla chips.  I'll give him credit - that's 90% of the genius of the dish!  I developed the homemade version because I think rice-a-roni is ridiculous because, duh, I have rice and seasonings in my pantry, and who needs all that salt??  But if I have the rice-a-roni on hand, Travis will use it and make dinner for the family on occasion, which is a total redeemer for the boxed stuff. My standard disclaimer, of course: I never actually measure as I'm cooking, so beware of the amounts.

Enjoy!

Mexican Rice Dinner (with the box)

1 package Mexican-Style Rice-a-Roni

½ lb. ground beef

½ of one large green pepper, diced

1 ¾ C. water

1 C. frozen corn

½ can of black beans

1 can diced tomatoes (with green chiles or jalapenos is good!)

Shredded cheese for topping

Tortilla chips for dipping

 

Brown the ground beef and green pepper, and drain.  Add the rice-a-roni, water, seasoning mix, corn, black beans, and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.  Top with cheese and eat each bite with the tortilla chips.

Mexican Rice Dinner (without the box)

1 C. rice

1 lb. ground beef

1 large green pepper, diced

2 T. flour

2 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

salt and pepper

1 ¾ C. water

1 C. frozen corn

1 can of black beans

1 can diced tomatoes (with green chiles or jalapenos is good!)

Shredded cheese for topping

Tortilla chips for dipping

Brown the ground beef and green pepper, and drain.  Sprinkle the flour over the meat (aim for the remaining fat) and add spices, salt, and pepper.  Add the rice, water, corn, black beans, and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.  Top with cheese and eat each bite with the tortilla chips.