Most efficient, effective meal recipe: Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef

RyanTahiti

After years of tracking calories (including a 500-day streak) and learning what works, I came up with this recipe.

What makes it my favorite?

1. It actually tastes good
2. It's very efficient: lastingly filling for the amount of calories. ("Only 86 calories!" doesn't fly with me if I'm hungry again 5 minutes later, you know?)
3. It's cheap
4. It's practical: easy to make a huge batch, and reheats well

So here's the latest refined & simplified recipe version:


Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef

1 cup Brown Rice (dry)
1 cup water
1 tsp beef bullion

1 lb 91% Lean Ground Beef
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 large Yellow Onion, diced
1 large Bell Pepper, diced

1 can Corn (~16oz)
1 jar Salsa (~16oz)
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Seasoning Salt (like Tony Chachere's)

Bring rice, water, and bullion to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
While rice is simmering, cook beef, garlic, onions, and pepper in a large pan over medium-high heat until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Then add in the cooked rice, corn, salsa, and seasonings. Mix cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat or until heated through.

* Prep time 1 hr. Makes 8 1-cup servings. Keeps in fridge for at least 10 days.
* Nutrition Info per serving: 223 calories, 6.2g fat, 30.4g carbs (4.7 fiber, 7.9 sugar), 15g protein, 790mg sodium
* Cost per serving: $0.88

Tips and variations:
1. Toppings: Not needed, though it does taste great with cheddar cheese melted on top. For "supreme" style (aka extra calorie splurge) - cheddar on top, corn chips mixed in, and sour cream. Yum. Avocado goes great with this dish.
2. Chorizo: adding it tastes a little better but adds way too many calories
3. Beans: I thought it would taste better and maybe even go farther, but beans dry it out and don't add anything to the dish.
4. Diced green chiles: I tried these in the last batch, and they were ok but didn't add as much "wow" factor as I wanted.
5. Rice: some brown rice cooks with less water - check your container and follow its suggested water-rice ratio.
6. Spiciness: My kids (1 & 4 years) will eat this every day, but can't handle even the mild stuff. So I use cumin & paprika instead of the chili powder, and use plain salt instead of Tony Chachere's. Then put Frank's Red Hot in my own bowl.


I can't tell you how many times I've made and eaten this. I usually double it and eat the leftovers all week.

If you try it (or make your own variation of it), please let me know what you think!

YummyTpn

This looks really good. Thanks for sharing!

alifeinspired

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing

StellasFolly

Sounds perfect for hubby! Thanks!

runningforthetrain

This looks fantastic. I plan on trying it.

agdharry

Just favorited this!

jacklifts

man, i gotta ya - this is a winner. got a "you outdid yourself tonight" from the wife; the 3 year old ate 3 helpings.
I had to alter it as i didn't have all the ingredients - added peas as the veggies, used cummin/paprika, and added a dollop of low fat sour cream on top. I noticed the thing was a bit dry after I added the peas (maybe not enough fat - I used 95/5 beef). Have you noticed any dryness? I'm wondering if I need to add more salsa next time (oh...there WILL be a next time)!

Thanks a lot for the recipe!

RyanTahiti

jacklifts wrote: »

man, i gotta ya - this is a winner. got a "you outdid yourself tonight" from the wife; the 3 year old ate 3 helpings.
I had to alter it as i didn't have all the ingredients - added peas as the veggies, used cummin/paprika, and added a dollop of low fat sour cream on top. I noticed the thing was a bit dry after I added the peas (maybe not enough fat - I used 95/5 beef). Have you noticed any dryness? I'm wondering if I need to add more salsa next time (oh...there WILL be a next time)!

Thanks a lot for the recipe!

That's what I'm talking about - thanks for trying it and sharing!

Canned corn adds a nice crunchy aspect to the dish, where peas make it more mushy. I bet the super-lean beef contributed more the the dryness. More salsa or even a can of diced tomatoes would probably help it out. For me, meals need a certain amount of fat to be "lastingly filling" and the 91/9 beef (frozen from Costco = pretty inexpensive) seems to work great for this dish.

Thanks again & please post an update if you try it again

vicky1947mfp

RyanTahiti wrote: »

After years of tracking calories (including a 500-day streak) and learning what works, I came up with this recipe.

What makes it my favorite?

1. It actually tastes good
2. It's very efficient: lastingly filling for the amount of calories. ("Only 86 calories!" doesn't fly with me if I'm hungry again 5 minutes later, you know?)
3. It's cheap
4. It's practical: easy to make a huge batch, and reheats well

So here's the latest refined & simplified recipe version:


Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef

1 cup Brown Rice (dry)
1 cup water
1 tsp beef bullion

1 lb 91% Lean Ground Beef
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 large Yellow Onion, diced
1 large Bell Pepper, diced

1 can Corn (~16oz)
1 jar Salsa (~16oz)
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Seasoning Salt (like Tony Chachere's)

Bring rice, water, and bullion to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
While rice is simmering, cook beef, garlic, onions, and pepper in a large pan over medium-high heat until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Then add in the cooked rice, corn, salsa, and seasonings. Mix cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat or until heated through.

* Prep time 1 hr. Makes 8 1-cup servings. Keeps in fridge for at least 10 days.
* Nutrition Info per serving: 223 calories, 6.2g fat, 30.4g carbs (4.7 fiber, 7.9 sugar), 15g protein, 790mg sodium
* Cost per serving: $0.88

Tips and variations:
1. Toppings: Not needed, though it does taste great with cheddar cheese melted on top. For "supreme" style (aka extra calorie splurge) - cheddar on top, corn chips mixed in, and sour cream. Yum. Avocado goes great with this dish.
2. Chorizo: adding it tastes a little better but adds way too many calories
3. Beans: I thought it would taste better and maybe even go farther, but beans dry it out and don't add anything to the dish.
4. Diced green chiles: I tried these in the last batch, and they were ok but didn't add as much "wow" factor as I wanted.
5. Rice: some brown rice cooks with less water - check your container and follow its suggested water-rice ratio.
6. Spiciness: My kids (1 & 4 years) will eat this every day, but can't handle even the mild stuff. So I use cumin & paprika instead of the chili powder, and use plain salt instead of Tony Chachere's. Then put Frank's Red Hot in my own bowl.


I can't tell you how many times I've made and eaten this. I usually double it and eat the leftovers all week.

If you try it (or make your own variation of it), please let me know what you think!

Will try

jacklifts

had the leftovers today - yum.
such a hit!

SueSueDio

This sounds good - I think my family might like it, so I'm going to give it a try! Couple of questions, though.

RyanTahiti wrote: »

I bet the super-lean beef contributed more the the dryness. More salsa or even a can of diced tomatoes would probably help it out. For me, meals need a certain amount of fat to be "lastingly filling" and the 91/9 beef (frozen from Costco = pretty inexpensive) seems to work great for this dish.

I buy the 'lean' ground beef rather than 'extra lean' - not sure what the fat percentage of that is - but whenever I brown a batch I like to spoon off most of the fat before I add other ingredients (there's usually 2-3 tablespoons of liquid in the pan). If I do this for your recipe, will that make it too dry?

Second question - do you serve this with anything else, or just as it is? I can imagine my family will think they're being starved if I give them one cup portions, so I'd probably have to double theirs!

Thanks!

IzzyBooNZ1

bump !

nicoiam69

Is there a way to copy this recipe so I can add it to 'my recipes'?

SueSueDio

nicoiam69 wrote: »

Is there a way to copy this recipe so I can add it to 'my recipes'?

I've added it to the database using the figures given here, under the name "Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef recipe". Not all the values were filled in, I just added the numbers Ryan gave.

I made it tonight and it was very well received by the family - even the one who's not keen on veggies and tries to avoid sweetcorn like the plague! And my previous concern was unfounded - one cup is plenty (for me at least, I gave the guys a couple of extra spoonfuls and they were happy with that). We added some grated cheese on top, and the guys had a few tortilla chips on the side.

I used two cups of thawed-out frozen corn, and went for the paprika/cumin option rather than chili powder, and really enjoyed the taste!

I also used two cups of water as given on my bag of rice rather than one, as I was worried it would boil dry otherwise - it came out nice and fluffy after 35 mins.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the 1tsp of beef bouillon is; it doesn't sound like enough to make a difference but I put it in anyway! (Used a cube to make up a pint of the stuff, most of which is now in the freezer... ) I'm not sure if it was meant to be 1 cup of that and one cup of water, to add more flavour to the rice? But that stuff has a ton of sodium in it so I don't know if that would be a good thing to try. (I'm not much of a cook so I'm not confident at changing recipes.)

All in all, though, we really enjoyed it and I'll definitely make it again! It was easy to cook, and I have lots of leftovers for future meals, too. Thanks so much for the recipe, @RyanTahiti !

nicoiam69

SueSueDio wrote: »

nicoiam69 wrote: »

Is there a way to copy this recipe so I can add it to 'my recipes'?

I've added it to the database using the figures given here, under the name "Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef recipe". Not all the values were filled in, I just added the numbers Ryan gave.

I made it tonight and it was very well received by the family - even the one who's not keen on veggies and tries to avoid sweetcorn like the plague! And my previous concern was unfounded - one cup is plenty (for me at least, I gave the guys a couple of extra spoonfuls and they were happy with that). We added some grated cheese on top, and the guys had a few tortilla chips on the side.

I used two cups of thawed-out frozen corn, and went for the paprika/cumin option rather than chili powder, and really enjoyed the taste!

I also used two cups of water as given on my bag of rice rather than one, as I was worried it would boil dry otherwise - it came out nice and fluffy after 35 mins.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the 1tsp of beef bouillon is; it doesn't sound like enough to make a difference but I put it in anyway! (Used a cube to make up a pint of the stuff, most of which is now in the freezer... ) I'm not sure if it was meant to be 1 cup of that and one cup of water, to add more flavour to the rice? But that stuff has a ton of sodium in it so I don't know if that would be a good thing to try. (I'm not much of a cook so I'm not confident at changing recipes.)

All in all, though, we really enjoyed it and I'll definitely make it again! It was easy to cook, and I have lots of leftovers for future meals, too. Thanks so much for the recipe, @RyanTahiti !

Thank you! Being a total newbie I don't know where to find the recipe database though!! I'm excited to know there is one

SueSueDio

I haven't used the actual 'my recipes' thing yet (click on the 'Food' tab at the top of your page, then 'Recipes' on the bar below it), but when you choose 'add food' from your Food Diary you can search for anything in there. I've managed to find things that I was sure wouldn't be there at all!

Some things have multiple entries, so I always click on the nutrition info button to compare values with the package or recipe I have in front of me. (If you haven't played with that yet... search for something, click on an option in the list it gives you, then click on the green 'nutrition info' button on the right.) If none of the options I find match exactly - sometimes the fat or protein numbers have been different - I add a new one. It's helpful that you can change the serving size before you add food, so if you find the right item but it lists 100g and you only used 50g, change the serving amount to 0.5.

I did try the 'import recipe' option where you give it a web URL, but it kept telling me there were no recipes on those pages so I'm not sure exactly what it's looking for there. I'll figure it out one day!

Hope that helps, and apologies to others for the thread derailment - please return to discussing this delicious meal now!

RyanTahiti

SueSueDio wrote: »

nicoiam69 wrote: »

Is there a way to copy this recipe so I can add it to 'my recipes'?

I've added it to the database using the figures given here, under the name "Ryan's Texas Brown Rice & Beef recipe". Not all the values were filled in, I just added the numbers Ryan gave.

I made it tonight and it was very well received by the family - even the one who's not keen on veggies and tries to avoid sweetcorn like the plague! And my previous concern was unfounded - one cup is plenty (for me at least, I gave the guys a couple of extra spoonfuls and they were happy with that). We added some grated cheese on top, and the guys had a few tortilla chips on the side.

I used two cups of thawed-out frozen corn, and went for the paprika/cumin option rather than chili powder, and really enjoyed the taste!

I also used two cups of water as given on my bag of rice rather than one, as I was worried it would boil dry otherwise - it came out nice and fluffy after 35 mins.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the 1tsp of beef bouillon is; it doesn't sound like enough to make a difference but I put it in anyway! (Used a cube to make up a pint of the stuff, most of which is now in the freezer... ) I'm not sure if it was meant to be 1 cup of that and one cup of water, to add more flavour to the rice? But that stuff has a ton of sodium in it so I don't know if that would be a good thing to try. (I'm not much of a cook so I'm not confident at changing recipes.)

All in all, though, we really enjoyed it and I'll definitely make it again! It was easy to cook, and I have lots of leftovers for future meals, too. Thanks so much for the recipe, @RyanTahiti !

Great feedback - thanks @SueSueDio !

One cup does go farther than you'd think. I find frozen corn is too chewy, and I think you'll like the crunch you get from canned corn.

Good call following the directions on your rice package - I didn't know they vary so much. The bullion makes it like you're cooking the rice in broth (which you could also do instead of water) and adds more depth to the flavor. It's not necessary and you can omit it if you're watching your sodium, but it leaves the dish more bland.

Thank you again, and keep up the great work!

cross2bear

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the 1tsp of beef bouillon is; it doesn't sound like enough to make a difference but I put it in anyway! (Used a cube to make up a pint of the stuff, most of which is now in the freezer... ) I'm not sure if it was meant to be 1 cup of that and one cup of water, to add more flavour to the rice? But that stuff has a ton of sodium in it so I don't know if that would be a good thing to try. (I'm not much of a cook so I'm not confident at changing recipes.)

I think you were to just add 1 tsp of the powdered bouillion, and not to prepare it with water first. Just use it like a spice.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

SueSueDio

Hmm, I don't know - it was available in cube form and in little pots, so I bought the cubes as they were cheaper and would last longer. I presumed it was 1tsp reconstituted, but maybe not!

Ryan?

nonrg

Dig it.

Nothing beats the ground meat and rice combo for making a cheap meal in bulk. My favorite is ground turkey with black beans and quinoa. Add some avocado and hot sauce and you're ready to go.

jacklifts

Alright, made this again tonight. Such a hit! Corn definitely better than peas. I added a can of diced tomatoes, and that seemed to fix the dryness from using 95/5 beef. Used broth for the rice, works well in the rice cooker . Added low fat sour cream on top.

Had two servings, about 500 calories. Delicious and filling. Thanks dude! This is going to become a weekly staple for us!