This cheesy skillet Cowboy Rice Casserole features both ground beef and spicy chorizo sausage along with diced peppers, sweet onion, pinto beans and corn. It’s a one-dish meal that’s made completely on the stovetop and has the bonus of using only one pan for easy clean-up. Serve it as is, or topped with your favorite taco fixings, for a meal you’re sure to make on repeat.

Ingredients to Make Cowboy Rice Casserole Recipe

This hearty cowboy rice casserole is a main dish the whole family will love. It reheat beautifully for busy day meals when everyone is eating at different times due to hectic schedules. What is cowboy rice? This stovetop casserole features both ground beef and spicy chorizo combined with rice and vegetables for a filling meal filled with flavor and textures. It differs from Mexican rice that may include spices, onion and tomatoes. Serve it with a green salad and corn muffins to round out the meal. Ingredients to make stovetop Cowboy Rice: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

Meat – A combination of ground beef and chorizo sausage casings, removed.
Rice – Long grain white rice works best. Don’t use minute rice.
Cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese for spice.
Liquid – Low sodium beef broth adds moisture for cooking the rice.
Canned and Frozen Vegetables – Pinto beans, mild or hot Rotel tomatoes and fresh or frozen corn.
Fresh Vegetables – Onion (sweet onion, yellow onion or red onion), poblano pepper and red bell pepper plus garlic cloves.
Oil – Olive oil for sautéing the vegetables and meats.
Seasonings – Goya Sazon Coriander and Annatto Seasoning, dark chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, lemon pepper.
Fresh Herbs – Fresh cilantro for garnishing.

How to Make the BEST Cowboy Rice Casserole

Sauté Vegetables – In a large skillet cook onion and peppers in olive oil until softened, then add garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.
Cook Half Pound Ground Beef and Chorizo Sausage – Cook ground beef and chorizo over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
Add Broth, Rice and Spices – Cook beef broth, white rice, pintos, Rotel tomatoes, corn, sazon, two tablespoons chili powder, cumin, teaspoon garlic salt and lemon pepper. Bring rice mixture to a boil, stir to combine.
Simmer – Cover and simmer on low heat per the recipe.
Serve – Add Cilantro and Cheddar Cheese – Serve immediately. (If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley.)

Tips for Making Stove Top Cowboy Rice

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: A large skillet, measuring cups and spoons, a sharp knife and chopping board, cheese grater and large spoon for stirring and serving.
Turn Pantry Staples into Something Special: Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list, you like already have on hand the seasonings, white rice and cheddar cheese. Raid your pantry to make cowboy rice.
Protein Combination: I love making this casserole with both lean ground beef and chorizo giving it an unexpected kick in flavor and texture. If preferred, you could swap out one or the other using the same amount called for in the recipe.
Use Long Grain White Rice: Long grain rice is definitely the way to go for this recipe as it cooks right along in the same skillet that you’ll use to cook the meat. You could use orzo for a twist, adjusting the cooking time as needed.
How to Serve Cowboy Rice: You can top this rice casserole with sour cream or a drizzle of crema, salsa, diced avocado, cowboy caviar, pickled jalapeno pepper slices, black olives or any of your favorite taco fixings.

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Recipe Variations

Protein Substitutions: You could make cowboy rice using ground turkey, ground chicken or low calorie pork sausages in place of chorizo sausage.
Corn: You can use fresh corn cobs or frozen corn kernels. A can of corn could be used in a pinch.
Seasonings: You might like to add teaspoon of Mexican oregano to amp up the flavor.
Broth: You could replace beef broth with chicken broth or chicken stock, if you’re using ground chicken or turkey.
Beans: Swap out pinto beans using light red kidney beans or black beans. Make sure they’re drained well and rinsed under cold water.
Cheese: You can adapt this recipe using another variety of shredded cheese that you enjoy. Use colby jack cheese, monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese, if you like it spicy.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store easy Cowboy Rice Casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat in single servings in the microwave.
Freezer Tips: You can freeze Cowboy Rice for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat before serving.

More Easy Casserole Recipes to Make

This Hoppin’ John Casserole with a Cornbread Crust is a popular dish for New Year’s Day.
Chicken and Rice Casserole is a classic that just never gets old.
Supreme Pizza Pasta Skillet features all of the pizza toppings we enjoy.
Stacked Beef and Bean Tostada Skillet is another dish that can be made with either ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken or chorizo sausage.
Easy Ravioli Casserole comes is perfect for Italian night at home.
You may also like this recipe for Skillet Lasagna from Eating on a Dime.

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