Mexican Ground Beef and Cheese Baked Rice

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

Don't leave out the green olives it's what makes this dish, the more olives the better it will be LOL! I have even added in a can of drained black beans to this. Make certain to sprinkle LOTS of cheese on top! This rice dish is DELICIOUS! You will need a very large skillet for this. I use my own taco seasoning mix (#76616) to make this recipe.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4-1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (or to taste)
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (or use my Kittencal's Taco Seasoning Mix)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes (can use more)
• seasoning salt
• black pepper (or cayenne pepper)
• 1 (10 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 cup large pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced (or to taste)
• 2 cups uncooked converted white rice (I use Uncle Ben's converted white rice for this)
• 4 cups chicken broth (use about 1/4 cup less for firmer rice)
• 3 -4 cups grated monterey jack cheese or 3 -4 cups cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a very large oven-proof skillet with tight fitting lid or a Dutch oven with lid over medium heat.
3. Add in onions and green peppers with dryed chili pepper flakes; saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add in garlic; cook 2 minutes.
5. Add in ground beef with taco seasoning mix; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until browned.
6. Season beef mixture with seasoning salt and black pepper (or cayenne pepper) then add in Parmesan cheese; mix to combine.
7. Add in rice, sliced olives and mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, stirring.
8. Add in broth; bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
9. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish (large enough to hold the mixture).
10. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until rice is desired tenderness.
11. Uncover and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese cover and return to oven to bake for about 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
12. Delicious!

Reviews

[Nancy (Chef #1075700)]

I made this last night for my family. My husband and I love green olives so I added 3/4 cups which almost made it a litle too salty so next time I'll cut down on the other salt. When it came time to add the rice, I realized I only had a 3/4 cup of white rice so I used brown rice for the remaining and it still turned out delicious. I left out the mushrooms because I didn't have them. I doubled the ground beef just because that is what I had. I also added a can of corn as mentioned in one of the other reviews. I think a can of black beans might also be a good addition. The taste reminded me of tamale pie. I served it with a green salad and cottage cheese in place of sour cream on top. Very good! Thanks for sharing!

[Ericadawn]

If you are a serious green olive fan, you'll love this recipe. We thought it was too salty, with all the olives in there. I might make it again, but with less olives and no seasoned salt.

[WhoKnew?]

I was planning to freeze this for lunches so I made a few changes. I layered cooked white rice in the bottom of the container, then added the meat mixture, and topped with grated cheese. BF took this for lunch today & texted me "*****"! Thanks!