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Hamburger and Zucchini Skillet
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Delicious one pot dinner that is light & healthy! This Hamburger and Zucchini Skillet is loaded with zucchini, ground beef, brown rice, green pepper, and tomatoes. Plus, you can have it on the dinner table in 30 minutes.
Have a lot of zucchini on hand? This hamburger skillet is a great way to use it up!
There are only so many side dishes with zucchini that I can handle, so I decided I needed a main dish to use it in and that’s how this easy skillet came to be.
It’s a combination of rice, veggies, and ground beef all simmered together in one skillet. It’s flavored with chili powder and other seasonings and the best news? It’s an easy one-pan 30-minute dinner! I love easy dinner recipes.
Every time I make this hamburger skillet my family gobbles it up! Even the kiddos have second helpings and that makes me very happy because it’s packed with veggies. It’s a great way to use up all of those garden vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini.
This is an Easy One-Skillet Dinner!
This dish has a combination of fresh ingredients like ground beef, bell peppers, zucchini, onion and tomatoes with pantry ingredients you might already have on hand.
What makes it so easy is Instant brown rice which cooks really fast! So, be sure to buy instant rice and not regular – otherwise, it will take a lot longer (and might not work because I’ve only tested instant rice!).
4 Easy Steps!
- Brown the beef with the onion.
- Add all of the vegetables, seasonings, water, and rice and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and cover the skillet for five to ten minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Top with the cheese and once it’s melted serve and enjoy!
We love this cheesy, hearty dinner! I love that it’s so filling and loaded with veggies. It’s a complete dinner so you don’t have to worry about a side dish, but sometimes we add some homemade breadsticks on the side!
Pro Tips
- If you have leftovers they will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
- This recipe is great for meal prep – you can easily make it ahead, store it in the fridge, and then heat it up for easy dinners and lunches.
- You can also easily customize it – you can leave out veggies you don’t like and double up on the ones you do! Or, switch up the spices for a different flavor.
- We love cheddar cheese, but you can use any good melting cheese that you like! Monterey jack, provolone, Swiss cheese, pepper jack… there are a lot of options to try.
- A frequently asked question is if that’s enough water and it depends on the amount of water content in your zucchini. As the zucchini cooks it releases water so you won’t need much water. With that being said all zucchini has different water content. If it’s looking a little dry add a little more water to it.
What people are saying:
“This is one of my family’s favorite dinners!”
“Delicious!”
“It came out great and in a short period of time. Thanks for the recipe.”
More Family-Friendly Recipes!
- Need a quick and easy dinner? Chicken Alfredo is the answer – pasta in a creamy sauce is so good! Plus you make it in one pot!
- My Homemade Hamburger Helper is so much better than the one in the box! We make it all the time – once you try you will, too!
- Taco Pasta is a quick and easy dinner recipe that is made in one pot! Cheesy macaroni with hamburger, salsa, and corn will be a hit at your dinner table.
- Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a low-carb dinner that’s perfect for meal prep, too.
Try it and love it? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy dish!!
Hamburger and Zucchini Skillet
Light and healthy one pan meal with ground beef and zucchini! Tons of flavor from the chopped peppers, chili powder, brown rice and melted cheese on top.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 small green pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp pepper
- 3 medium zucchini cubed
- 2 large tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 c. uncooked instant brown rice
- 1 c. shredded colby jack cheese
Instructions
- Cook ground beef with onion and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat until not longer pink, about 5-7 minutes; drain.
- Stir in seasonings, vegetables, water and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; let stand until cheese is melted.
Notes
- If you have leftovers they will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
- This recipe is great for meal prep – you can easily make it ahead, store it in the fridge, and then heat it up for easy dinners and lunches.
- You can also easily customize it – you can leave out veggies you don’t like and double up on the ones you do! Or, switch up the spices for a different flavor.
- We love cheddar cheese, but you can use any good melting cheese that you like! Monterey jack, provolone, Swiss cheese, pepper jack… there are a lot of options to try.
- A frequently asked question is if that’s enough water and it depends on the amount of water content in your zucchini. As the zucchini cooks it releases water so you won’t need much water. With that being said all zucchini has different water content. If it’s looking a little dry add a little more water to it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 28gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 609mgPotassium: 721mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1270IUVitamin C: 40.9mgCalcium: 322mgIron: 5.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I absolutely loved this! I made a couple of changes out of necessity and it was great. Instead of brown rice I precooked wild rice and added it at the end. I used one 15 Oz can of petite diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. I omitted the cheese. I will be making this again.
So glad you could make it work and enjoyed it Marlene!
Delicious! I added hot banana and habernero peppers that I needed used up. I only used one big zucchini so I did add a little more water. Will make again I’m sure!
Great additions Cheryl!
Very good, had to add more water and cumin. Definitely a keeper.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this by doing a search on Pinterest. SO good. Will definitely make again. Thank you for providing a yummy recipe. I know that a lot of work goes into providing these recipes and blog posts and pictures…for FREE. I used basmati rice and used 1 3/4 cup of water. Again, thank you!
Great way to change it up!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Very bland. Not worth the trouble to prep. Needs more spice, salt. Its ok but not great.
Hi Jane. Sorry you didn’t care for the flavor in this skillet recipe – feel free to add spices you like for a little more flavor!
I had both summer squash and zucchini on hand, so I mixed the two together and added a pack of taco seasoning to the 12 serving size.
Made it perfect.
Great addition! Glad you enjoyed it!
i made 12 servings and thought it needed more spice too, so I added a pack of taco seaaoning that I had on hand and it made it perfect.
I found this recipe searching on google and glad I did! I did switch it up though. Instead of rice I used quinoa and just boiled it separate til it sprouted and then added it to the cooked hamburger with the veggies. It turned out AMAZING! I love how the quinoa just stuck right to all of the other ingredients. It was great and will be making it again. Oh, I did leave out the cheese though.
Perfect! I’m so glad you found it and enjoyed it!
We used quinoa as well and it was totally the bomb! I also added the taco seasoning, cayenne pepper, mushrooms, a jalapeno, four times the garlic and a can of tomato paste. 🙂 We can’t get enough!
So glad you enjoyed it! Great switches!
Made it and the grandkids loved it! No leftovers! I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh and added mushrooms. Definitely will make it again!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Delicious! Thank you. I used regular brown rice and started cooking it in a separate pot while I browned the hamburger, onion, garlic, and green pepper. Zucchini cooks quickly so good to add it later w summer tomatoes. The zucchini was nice and firm but not soggy at the end. Thank you for sharing. It’s a nice way to use summer veggies that are plentiful now.
Yes! I’m so glad you could use up some veggies and enjoy this one!
Can you freeze leftovers?
You could try it, the vegetables might be soggy after cooking, freezing and reheating but if that doesn’t bother you, then I’m sure it’d be fine!
Delicious and easy, my favorite kind of recipe. Family was hitting the “please no more squash” point and this is still a hit. Will make it again for sure! Added a bit of cumin and parsley flakes. Loved the melty cheese.
Excellent! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
What a great summertime take on a Ratatouille (ish) meal. BRAVO!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Helen, Burlington ON Canada.
Thanks, Julie. This is a lovely recipe and I will make it again! And I will share the recipe, too. I followed it fairly closely, but I used an orange Bell pepper. I always use a ½:½ pork/beef mixture from a butcher for most of my ground meat recipes. I also used uncooked “regular” white basmati rice, and so, I soaked it a bit, then I added a bit more water to the skillet. When the rice was almost tender, I turned off the heat, sprinkled on the cheese and covered the skillet with a tea towel and a lid for 5 minutes. Doing rice this way is a norm for me after learning this neat trick from a Middle Eastern woman. For a half recipe for 2 of us (whoops, I didn’t notice the 6 servings for a full recipe!), I used 12 oz of zucchini, and 6 oz of tiny Sun Gold tomatoes (from our garden) cut in half, and 2-1/2 oz of Bell pepper. The half recipe made 2 generous and very delightful servings!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Helen K