Recipe Redo - Taco Rice

I first made this Taco Rice in January 2012 and felt it needed a bit of work. The original recipe didn't have any sauce and that's a big no-no in this house. I was craving tacos but wanted something slightly different. Time for a recipe redo!

The result: delicious. This was perfect. I had barely finished eating and was already thinking about when I could make it again. The tweaks I made - adding tomato paste, salsa and sour cream to the beef mixture - were just what we wanted. I also decided to add some frozen corn, mainly because I'm on a corn kick lately and thought the little kernels would be nice in the dish. I also added crushed tortilla chips for a bit of crunch and texture and they provided the perfect, salty accompaniment.

Something to note - there's no oil in this dish. I've been saying it a lot lately but my friend Melissa has worked hard to cut oil out of most of her recipes. Ground beef is perfect for this method since the beef has plenty of fat already in it. If you add the onion and garlic to the pan at the same time as the beef they all cook together beautifully (and then there's no need to drain off the fat later). I've loved cutting unnecessary calories from our diet.

UPDATE April 2014 - new picture I posted on Instagram:

Taco Rice
Modified from Cassie Craves

1 onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup sour cream,
4 cups steamed rice
Toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ground beef and saute until the onions are soft and the beef is cooked through, breaking the beef into small chunks as it cooks. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and tomato paste. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Combine salsa and sour cream and stir into the ground beef.

Spread 1/2 to 1 cup of the steamed rice on each plate. Top with the seasoned beef. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, crushed chips and cheese.