This ground beef stir fry with rice and spinach recipe is so easy to make. You will love the hearty combination of flavorful beef, sauteed spinach, cheese, and rice. It is a quick and delicious meal for a busy weeknight dinner!
This one-skillet ground beef with rice and spinach stir-fry recipe is a flavorful 30-minute meal. It is also a great way to use leftover rice in a filling and satisfying meal that the whole family will love. With just a few simple ingredients, you’ll find yourself making this versatile recipe all the time!
Stir fry meals are so easy and quick to make. You can generally add any protein and any vegetables you have in your fridge. I love making this ground beef stir fry with rice and spinach meal on a busy weeknight because it takes no time at all to prepare it. It is a one-skillet, one-pan meal and it is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
Why you will love making this ground beef stir fry with rice and spinach
- You can use any protein for this recipe – you can use ground pork, chicken, or turkey. I like using ground beef. It is very flavorful; my whole family likes it and I always have ground beef in the freezer.
- Very quick and easy to make – this is a perfect weeknight family dinner because it requires a handful of ingredients and one skillet, and it is ready in under 30 minutes.
- Great to sneak in any vegetables you have on hand. Cut them up really small and it is a great way to add some veggies to even the pickiest little eater’s diet.
- Easy clean up – there is not a lot of prep and there is not a lot of pots and pans to clean.
Ingredients
This easy beef and rice recipe is very versatile. You can use whatever protein and veggies you want and have on hand.
- Ground beef – I like using 80/20% ground beef. Feel free to use whatever kind of ground beef you prefer. You could also use different cuts of beef as well, like beef steak! Any tender cut of beef would work. You can also use any other meat, ground pork, chicken, and turkey.
- Onion – I love using yellow onion for this recipe, but you could also use shallots, white or red onion, and even scallions.
- Rice – if I have any leftover takeout rice, I will just use that, and it is even faster to make this recipe. If not, use any medium or long-grain rice. Cook it in a standard rice cooker or stovetop. If you would like to make this recipe even healthier, feel free to use cauliflower rice instead.
- Tomato sauce – use your favorite tomato sauce for this recipe.
- Spinach – I love the mild flavor of spinach and I usually always have spinach on hand, so I love using it for this recipe. It wilts down as it cooks, so even the pickiest eaters., like my daughter, do not mind it at all and love this beef and rice stir fry.
- Shredded cheese – any shredded cheese you like will work for this recipe.
- Spices – Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder is all you need here. Of course, you can add any other spices you like.
- Sauce – I find that the tomato sauce makes this dish nice and moist, but if you’d like, you can add soy sauce or your favorite stir-fry sauce.
How to make this easy ground beef stir fry with rice and spinach
Start by cooking the rice. As I mentioned earlier, if you have some leftover Chinese takeout rice, you can use that, so skip this step. If not, cook the rice in your rice cooker. I use 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water. For extra flavor, I add 1 tablespoon of Vegeta all-purpose seasoning. This is optional but it adds a nice flavor to the rice. While the rice is cooking, dice the onion and sauté it in a tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil.
Once the onion is translucent, add the ground beef to the pan. Using a wooden spoon or this awesome meat masher, that I love, break up the meat and cook it until no longer pink. If there is a lot of liquid, drain it. Season and stir to combine.
Chop the spinach and add it to the meat mixture. Add the cooked rice (or the leftover rice) and the tomato sauce. Season again with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir to combine.
Serving suggestions
If you’d like to have this stir-fried rice as a side dish, try my delicious meatloaf as the main dish.
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Ground Beef Stir Fry with Rice and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 cup uncooked rice or 2 cups cooked rice – if uncooked, cook it by your preferred method. You can make it in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or a stovetop or you can use takeout leftover rice or even minute instant rice
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the chopped onion.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the ground beef. Cook until browned, breaking it up as you go. Drain, if there is too much excess fat.
- Add the garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
- If using uncooked rice, cook 1 cup of rice in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or on the stovetop.
- Add chopped spinach to the meat mixture and cook for a couple of minutes until it wilts down.
- Add the rice and stir well until all is combined.
- Add the tomato sauce and stir well.
- Add a tablespoon of water, if desired.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese and enjoy!
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