This Mexican Skillet Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal. Full of lean protein, healthy carbs and veggies and topped with healthy fats, it provides a complete meal and means you don’t have to worry about side dishes!
Hi Friends!
Sometimes the thought of making dinner overwhelms me. You have to figure out what you’re going to make, then you have to come up with some side dishes to serve with it so that you’re getting a balanced meal, then you have to actually do the cooking!
That’s why I love dishes like this. It’s everything you need for a meal all in one pan. You’ve got protein, carbs, lots of veggies and you can throw some avocado on top for healthy fat! I made this mostly for hubby. He’s a red meat lover, while I am not. We buy organic, grass-fed ground beef from Costco and I’m always looking for different ways to cook it for him. We make burgers, meatballs, taco meat, lasagna and meatloaf but I was looking for something new.
You guys know we’re huge Mexican lovers so I thought I’d put a bunch of good stuff all together in one big skillet and call it a day- rice, beans, meat, veggies, cheese, salsa…you name it, in it went!
The end result was a win! Hubby ate it by itself and also used it as a burrito filling. You could also put it over lettuce for a taco salad of sorts.
Here’s how you make it:
PrintMexican Skillet Casserole
The perfect weeknight dinner. Everything you need for a complete meal in one big skillet.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown rice, uncooked (sub white rice if desired)
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, diced (I also added a green pepper)
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 pound ground beef (sub ground turkey or chicken if desired)
- 1 – 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot)
- avocado for topping, optional
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- While rice is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, red pepper, onion, jalapeno and ground beef to skillet and cook until beef is no longer pink.
- Drain any liquid, then add spices, corn, beans, cheese and salsa and heat through.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- Add rice and stir until combined. Top with avocado if desired and serve warm.
That’s it! Like I mentioned in the recipe, you can use brown or white rice, or you could sub something like quinoa or farro if desired. If you like things spicy, use hot salsa. You could even add some chili powder if you want.
Eat it plain, scoop it up with chips, put it in a burrito…whatever strikes your fancy!
Let’s chat:
Are you a fan of one pot meals or do you prefer a main dish and separate sides?
[Tweet “An easy dinner idea from @leangrnbeanblog- Mexican Skillet Casserole!”]
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
PS. Nothing says you can’t serve this with sides. Adding another side of veggies or a side salad is always a good idea 🙂
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
Like a burrito without the tortilla! My husband would eat it all, too! Perfect, Lindsay! And thanks for stopping by my blog!
WOW this looks amazing! I used to live in Cabo Mexico so I always crave the flavors of Mexican food! It seems simple too which I like and I can always save the rest for leftovers thanks for the idea! xo C
woohoo! enjoy!
love this! i love mexican and i love one pot meals!
One pot meals are the best. Especially when it’s a busy weeknight and you are scrambling to get something to eat. You just can’t go wrong with dishes like this!
thank you for sharing that first sentence.
one child one husband one….me.
and yet?
I can feel overwhelmed nightly.
so true.
Yum! This looks delicious and ouctures are incredible too!
I don’t think that I can trust people who don’t like Mexican cooking. Seriously.
hahaha agreed!
You can’t go wrong with a one-pot meal! And a one-pot Mexican meal? Double win.
agreed! double win 🙂
Am I a fan of one pot meals?! Ha! I’m downright obsessed. Easy and fast makes this mama happy! Pinned!!
same here! thanks friend!
One pot, easy, and Mexican what more could one want!!! Looks yummy and can’t wait to make it.
Pretty sure you can never go wrong with Mexican anything!
That looks awesome!!
I’m a sucker for anything Mexican! Love how easy this looks too.
simple is best 🙂
Yum! Adding to my list of dinners for next week!
yay! let me know how you like it!
I love all things Mexican food. Pinning!
I’m with you on the not a red meat fan but my husband is… you’re nicer than me though, I don’t buy/cook it and just have him enjoy it when we go out to eat, haha. Love one pot meals- it’s a plus for easy clean up!
haha if he wants steak i make him cook that himself 🙂
This looks sooooo delicious!! Oh wow, thanks for sharing!
Looks amazing! My kind of food!
I’m always all about one pot meals…It’s practically what all my dinners look like. Throw it into a big pan and see what happens. 🙂 Looks delicious and thanks for sharing!
yep 🙂 those are def the best kind!
I LOVE one pot meals!! Makes dinner so much easier. This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it out.
let me know what you think!
I bet this would be awesome with some lentils for a veg version, too!
yes! perfection!
My husband would love this too! Mexican anything is always a win 🙂
i agree 🙂 can’t go wrong!
This with chicken sounds right up my alley!
This sounds pretty easy to make and tasty. You can’t go wrong with a recipe like that.
I just made a one pot meal last night and it was super fast and easy. Those are my favorite. Dinner also overwhelms me trying to think and plan. It’s better if I plan it out for the week bc when I am struggling to think of something that day it stresses me out more.
I have a cast iron skillet that I bought and haven’t used, so I guess this is a good option! I don’t really know if it needs to be made in cast iron, but whatever 🙂
One-pot meals win all the way. In fact, I think the only time I ever eat side dishes as part of a meal is at family gatherings during the holidays. I’m cooking just for myself so bothering with sides, extra sauces or whatever would just be too much of a hassle. And I really like the look of this dish. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Mexican food and while I’m vegetarian I can totally see this as a complete dish without the meat, too. A grain, a green, a bean – they’re all in there!
Ah those casseroles 😉 Any Mexican themed dish is a great one!
This looks great! I love healthy, Mexican-inspired meals you can make at home!
Yum yum yum…. I <3 one-pot meals for their convenience (and well, the fact that there's less mess) and this one looks delicious. I believe I even have some veggie crumbles in the fridge, so I'm sure this would be really easy to make vegetarian. Thanks for this, and hope you're having a great week!
Looks good. When I make meatballs, I like to combine the ground beef with quinoa, to still get the ‘meaty’ taste, while limiting the quantity of red meat. In my house, it is hubby approved!
Mmmm…
My sister said she doesn’t like Mexican food. She’s clearly adopted.
This looks delicious and I am a huge fan of one pot meals. Even those designed not to be be one pot, I’d give it that treatment!
I love this! I’ve been looking for easy, healthy dishes that I can make in large batches to last for a few meals 🙂 I’m going to give this one a try!
yay! hope you love it!
Thanks for the recipe! Anything I can cook in cast iron and put avocado on top of is a winner in my book!
Thank you for another awesome recipe. I have made this with beef and turkey and it’s great either way. Have you ever tried freezing this? I like to freeze portions for weekends when I can’t get as much food prep done. But I don’t want to attempt it and waste it if for some reason it didn’t freeze well! Thanks!
i haven’t tried freezing it yet! sorry!
We just made this casserole and it turned out great! thanks!
Cheers Rossane