Recipe: Savory Beef and Brown Rice Skillet

Skillet meals are terrific for weeknights… they’re quick and easy and satisfying…. This recipe for Savory Beef and Brown Rice is no exception. I’ve made this skillet meal for years.. it was a favorite of my son’s when he was growing up.

Warren and I joke about things our Mothers said when we were growing up… mind you.. as adults we can totally relate to her. Feeding a family .. day in and day out.. gets tough…

Warren: What’s for dinner, Mom?
Mom: Something with hamburger.
Warren: (eye roll)

Fast forward to our house today…

Warren: What’s for dinner?
Me: I defrosted hamburger meat… so something with that… don’t know what yet… any ideas?
Warren: No… I’m sure whatever you make will be fine..

Don’t you just love to get inspiration from the family??… and so it goes…

I try to keep ingredients on hand for those nights when I just have to cook something and just not sure what.

Funny thing though… sometimes those meals turn out the best… and you know it was good when you find him standing at the fridge the next day with a spoon in hand planning on diving into leftovers..

Brown rice is one of those ingredients I like to use in my “rotation’… I like the flavor of brown rice.. it adds … not only nutritional value to the meal but also a wonderful nutty flavor to the dish.

TIPS

I use extremely lean ground beef so I don’t get much in the way of fat rendered. If you use beef that renders a considerable amount of fat, brown the meat until almost brown, drain off all but about 1 tablespoon fat then add the mushrooms, onions and garlic instead of starting off with them in the pan.

I used Italian seasoning in this recipe.. I felt it went well with the parmesan cheese… but you could easily substitute other spices if you prefer…

The beef broth quantity is approximate… that’s why I listed a range…. Start out at the low end quantity and add more if you need to… a lot will depend how much your rice absorbs the liquid… brands vary.

I used frozen carrots and peas… have a picky eater? … use just carrots or just peas instead of the mix.

Instead of the fresh mushrooms, you can substitute a small jar of sliced mushrooms. If you do substitute, skip the sautéing step and just add them in when you add the peas and carrots.

Serve a small side salad with this or maybe some warm crescent rolls… and you have a fine meal everyone will enjoy.






Recipe: Savory Beef and Brown Rice Skillet

All you need:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Sprinkling salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 ½ cups brown rice
3 – 4 cups beef broth * see Tips
1 pkg. (8 oz.) mushrooms, sliced *see Tips
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

All you need to do:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add the meat, mushrooms, onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook until meat is cooked through and onions are soft. Stir frequently.

Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the beef broth, carrots and peas, sprinkling of salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Cook about 8 minutes until rice and peas and carrots are cooked.

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir well.

Remove from the heat and add any additional Italian seasoning or salt and pepper to taste.