Even before quarantine life started, I was a big fan of pantry meals because I usually only do one big shopping trip per month and try to minimize trips to the grocery store for the rest of the month. I’m also a big lover of my Instant Pot, which I got for Christmas and use multiple times per week. Lastly, I’m a big fan of “dump” meals, meaning that I can pretty much just dump the ingredients together with minimal effort on my part and still have a delicious meal at the end.
(Can you sense that I like to minimize the work on my end as much as possible?!)
Now, this isn’t a total “dump” meal—you do need to chop an onion, and you will need to use the saute function on your Instant Pot to cook the onions and ground beef.
But a meal that requires about two minutes prep, about 6-7 minutes active saute time, and then is done in under 30 minutes total?
Yes, please!
(P. S. If you’re looking for even more ground beef recipes from the pantry, make sure to check out this post, which rounds up four more of our (quick and easy) favorites!)
Mexican Ground Beef + Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings: avocado, sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes, tortilla chips
- Choose the “Saute” option on the IP and pour in the oil. Once the oil is hot, dump in the onions and stir often until the onions start to soften, around 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and crumble into smaller pieces, stirring often to avoid burning, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the cup of rice and stir frequently until the rice starts to turn translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add beans, tomatoes, broth, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and pepper. Stir gently to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom (to avoid the “burn” notice). Put the lid on, make sure the vent is sealed, hit the “manual” button and set for 7 minutes.
- Once the 7 minutes are up, use the quick-release feature to release all the pressure. Stir in the corn and let sit until corn is heated through. Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Serve with optional toppings, if desired.
Serves: 4-6
What are your go-to Instant Pot meals? I use my Instant Pot alllll the time, so I’d love to know where to find some more good recipes!
