This recipe is on the cover of a Pillsbury cookbook that I’ve had for more than 15 years. Pillsbury calls it “Chuck Wagon Skillet Dinner”, but I asked the boys to come up with a new name. “Marvelous Meaty Zucchini” was Patrick’s suggestion. The recipe below has been scaled up for a family of 6 plus some leftovers. Also, I use my own taco seasoning blend instead of a package. I can remember a time when this dinner brought cheers, especially from the younger boys. It’s easy to eat if you have teeth missing or just had your braces tightened. It’s also very quick to make, it has vegetables built right in, it reheats well, and it tastes good too. We like to serve this with a side of sweet cornbread muffins to balance out the spice.
Southwest Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups instant white rice
- 1 1/2 packages taco seasoning mix or 3 tablespoons taco seasoning blend
- 1 15 ounce can of corn
- 3 small zucchini sliced into rounds
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a 12” skillet.
- Add onion and cook until onion is soft.
- Add water, rice, seasoning mix, corn, tomatoes and sliced zucchini.
- Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat 5-10 minutes until zucchini is tender.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, cover, and remove from heat.
- Let sit until cheese melts, then serve.
My taco seasoning blend:
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
This recipe above makes enough seasoning mix for about 2 lbs. of ground beef. I use 1 tablespoon taco seasoning blend and 1/4 cup of water for every 1/2 lb. of ground beef. Just save any extra for another meal.
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