Instant Pot cheesy ground beef and rice
Fluffy rice, savory beef and plenty of melted cheddar from one pot, the dinner that makes everyone go back for seconds.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.93 a serving
- 480 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- 1 can beef broth
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar
From your pantry
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 480 calories, 26 g protein, 44 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $1.93 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No beef broth? Bone broth works.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice in a strainer under cold water, swishing it with your fingers, until the water runs mostly clear.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Dolly’s tip: Rinsing washes off the loose starch that makes rice gummy.the onion and the garlic.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the beef and onion and cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left.
Timer: 6 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Spoon off most of the fat, then stir in the garlic, salt, paprika and pepper for 1 minute.
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot until nothing is stuck.
Dolly’s tip: Stuck bits are what set off the burn warning, so be thorough.Scatter the rice over the top and gently press it under the liquid. Don’t stir.
Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Let the pressure drop on its own for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest.
Timer: 6 min
Stir in the frozen vegetables and cheddar, put the lid back on for 5 minutes, then fluff and serve.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Instant Pot beef and noodles
35 min
Instant Pot cheesy tuna and rice
40 min
Instant Pot spaghetti
40 min
Instant Pot Greek lemon chicken and rice
40 min
One-pan dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with ground beef and cheddar ›What to make with ground beef and rice ›What to make with rice and frozen mixed vegetables ›