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One Skillet Cheesy Southwest Rice Bake. It is filled with Mexican inspired flavors. It’s cozy, delicious, and great for clean eating. This skillet meal is vegetarian, or you could add some cooked chicken or grass-fed ground beef. Totally versatile, so easy, made in only one pan, and ready in under an hour.
ALL ABOUT THIS ONE SKILLET CHEESY SOUTHWEST RICE BAKE:
In addition to its cozy goodness, I also love this recipe because it is:
- Easy: Pantry staples. Fresh produce. One skillet. Less cleanup. Need I say more?
- Clean: This recipe is so much healthier than the alternatively processed junk. You know exactly what’s in it. You get to choose the quality ingredients that will go into your food.
- Versatile: You could always add in more vegetables. You can make it vegetarian, or add-in some leftover cooked chicken or ground beef. So customizable!
- Meal-Prep Friendly: This meal is totally meal-prep friendly!! I prep mine in these reusable glass containers. Make it for dinner one night and bring the leftovers for lunch the next day! Or, prep it for the week. It’ll keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container like the one I linked above.
- Freezer-Friendly: It’s also freezer friendly! Use the same reusable glass containers, and stick in the freezer for weeks! Thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours before heating.
- Enjoyed by everyone! It’s so delicious and customizable, everyone will enjoy this meal!
WHAT YOU WILL YOU NEED:
- Avocado Oil: A high-quality high-heat cooking oil that is a healthy and clean substitute for vegetable and canola oils.
- Fresh Produce: Gimme all the fresh produce! This recipe includes yellow onion, 2 colorful bell peppers, Roma tomatoes, fresh garlic, and a small jalapeño.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds a lot of flavor to this dish and gives it that traditional Spanish rice color.
- Seasonings: All the spices! We’re using chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, sea salt, and black pepper.
- White Rice: I love this organically grown white basmati or jasmine rice. You could sub cauliflower rice, but you’ll have to omit the broth. Or you could do half cauliflower rice and half white rice. Then you’ll just reduce the broth by half.
- Broth: For a vegetarian meal you can use vegetable broth, or you could add in bone broth instead for some extra protein and health benefits.
- Black Beans: Because what Mexican inspired recipe doesn’t have black beans? Yum! Full of fiber.
- Cheddar Cheese: A delicious pasture-raised raw cheddar cheese from Organic Valley. I love it.
- Optional Leftover Cooked Protein: The recipe is vegetarian, but if you would like to add in some cooked shredded chicken or a leftover rotisserie chicken, ground beef, or even ground turkey, you can totally do so!
TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE:
HOW LONG TO KEEP LEFTOVERS?
You can keep the leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days or in the freezer for weeks in an airtight container like these reusable glass containers.
NEED GROCERY DELIVERY?
Consider Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market for fresh dairy and produce, Thrive Market for pantry essentials, and ButcherBox for high-quality organic and pasture-raised meat selections.
MY FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE:
- Chef’s Knife: The love of my life, I mean, cooking. This Victorinox Pro Chef’s Knife is THE BEST and sharpest Chef’s Knife under $50 I have found. I love mine and use it every single day.
- Cutting Board: A Bamboo Cutting Board is a great kitchen tool for every single meal!
- Non-Toxic Skillet: Here’s the best safe and non-toxic cast-iron skillet. It’ll last a lifetime.
- Citrus Squeezer: My favorite citrus squeezer. I use it every day!
- Glass Containers: If you have leftovers or decide to meal prep this recipe, always opt for reusable glass containers.
MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Smoky Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings (Clean Eating, Sugar-Free)
- Greek Turkey Burgers with Feta Cheese and Tzatziki
- Creamy Herb Tomato and Cucumber Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Avocado Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Bites with Crispy Bacon and Cherry Tomatoes
WANT TO TRY THIS RECIPE?
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One Skillet Cheesy Southwest Rice Bake. It is filled with Mexican inspired flavors. It’s cozy, delicious, and great for clean eating. This skillet meal is vegetarian, or you could add some cooked chicken or grass-fed ground beef. Totally versatile, so easy, made in only one pan, and ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 large bell peppers, diced (I used yellow and orange)
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked white rice, rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or bone broth
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese, grated (separated)
- Optional: 2 cups of leftover shredded chicken or ground beef
TOPPINGS
- Cilantro, chopped
- Squeeze of lime
- Sour cream
- Avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat avocado oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add in the onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the tomatoes. Continue cooking until the vegetables just begin to soften, another 5 minutes. Then, add in the garlic and jalapeño. Cook for 1 minute, then add in the tomato paste, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, sea salt, and black pepper. Combine and cook for another minute until the spices become fragrant, then add in the rice. Mix in the rice well, coating the rice in all the seasonings. Let the rice toast for a couple of minutes, allowing it to soak up all the flavors. Then, pour in the broth. Mix the contents into the broth very well. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook the rice for undisturbed for about 15 minutes, watching closely, until the rice has soaked up all the liquid. (See note) You can add more liquid a tablespoon at a time if it seems dry.
- Mix in the black beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. If you decided to add in some cooked shredded chicken or ground beef, right now would be the time to do that.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, then bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Broil during the last 2 minutes, if desired, watching closely, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Carefully remove from the oven (cast-iron gets extremely hot!) and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Add toppings right before digging in. Enjoy!!
Notes
Cast-iron holds heat very well. When cooking the rice, you’ll want to leave it undisturbed as much as possible. But if the bottom seems like it’s starting to burn, remove from the heat for a minute or two and mix well, putting the lid back on right away. Return to the heat and reduce the heat if needed.
You can do half cauliflower rice and half white rice if desired, just reduce the liquid by half.
I encourage everyone to opt for certified organic ingredients as much as possible to avoid toxic pesticides like glyphosate. I’ve linked to some of my favorite brands in the blog post above.
Keywords: one skillet, Mexican casserole, cheesy, southwest, dinner
