Easy skillet spicy veggie, beef and rice? Yes, please!

(UPDATE: I originally posted this recipe last year, and it has become one of my family’s FAVORITE dishes. It’s healthy, fast to make and delicious!)

I am always looking for quick and yummy dishes, especially if there’s minimal clean-up, so when I found a recipe in my Facebook feed a few weeks ago, it sounded good, but I always like to tweak my recipes to my family’s taste. The original recipe is very low carb, but I have 3 ~~locusts~~ teenagers and wanted it to be a bit more filling, so I added brown rice. It was also WAY too hot and spicy for my wimpy family (and I include myself in there!) so I toned down the heat, too.

I did use parts of the original recipe but added my own twist to it, too, and it was a definite hit at my house, so it became easy skillet spicy veggie, beef and RICE.

In case you are curious, here is the original recipe.

*By the way, we buy our ground beef in large amounts, brown it, and freeze it for recipes. So in the pictures you will see that my ground beef is frozen, but you can use either fresh or frozen. Here’s how to freeze ground beef.

Anyway, here is my version of an easy skillet spicy veggie, beef and rice dish.

I hope you like it, too. This recipe makes 6 1-cup servings.

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Easy skillet spicy veggie, beef and rice

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz. can tomatoes and green chiles (Like mild Rotel)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 c. instant brown rice (I use Uncle Ben’s)

2 c. water

Colby jack cheese (optional garnish)

Directions:

Brown the ground beef and the garlic over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink.

Add the tomatoes and spices.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini.

Add the rice and water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 10 minutes or until rice has absorbed most of the water and is tender.

We topped each serving with a sprinkle of Colby jack cheese, which added another layer of yumminess, and because that’s what we do. 🙂