One pan burrito rice bowl

This one pot Tex-Mex beef rice bowl is a budget-friendly, crowd-pleaser that can be adapted in multiple ways. Substitute the Mexican spice blend for your favourite curry pastes for an economical and satisfying recipe to add to your weekly dinner rotation.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• salt, to season
• 2 tbsp Mexican-style seasoning (recipe below)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 420 g can black beans, drained
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 3 cups (750 ml) water
• 200 g grated cheese mix (mozzarella and cheddar)

Mexican seasoning 

• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1½ tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder

Avocado salsa 

• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 2 tbsp jalapeño hot sauce (or 2 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos, 2 tsp pickle juice, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander)

To serve 

• coriander, sour cream, tomato salsa, lime wedges, tabasco sauce, iceberg lettuce cups, soft tacos, avocado salsa (see Note)

Instructions

1. For the Mexican seasoning, combine all ingredients. Store leftover seasoning in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

2. For the avocado salsa, add ingredients to a bowl and toss well to combine. Set aside to macerate.

3. Preheat the oven to 200˚C (fan-forced). Place the beef mince in a large bowl and bring to room temperature. Before cooking, mash up the mince with your hands to remove the “spaghetti” look and break it up.

4. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Push the onion to the side of the pan and move the pan slightly off the heat so the onion sits on less heat.

5. Add the beef mince to the pan in a single layer (like a large burger patty) all the way to the edges of the pan, then allow to cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until browned completely. This will allow for optimal caramelisation and great flavour.

6. When the mince patty shrinks, browns on the base and meat juices rise to the top of the meat, it is ready to stir to break up the mince. Season with salt, add the Mexican seasoning and garlic, then stir well to combine to break up the ‘patty’.

7. Add the cherry tomatoes, black beans, tomato paste and rice and mix well to combine. Stir through the water (ensuring the rice is covered), then bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked (there will be some crisper rice at the top). Sprinkle the rice with cheese, then bake for a further 5 minutes, or until melted.

8. Remove the pan with heat-proof oven gloves, then bring to the table with coriander, sour cream, tomato salsa, lime wedges, tabasco sauce, iceberg lettuce cups, soft tacos and avocado salsa (if in season).

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

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Watch the full episode here

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Watch the full episode here

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