1 Pound With Rice Recipe

Rinse and bring to boil

Rinse 1 cup rice under cold water until water runs mostly clear to remove excess starch. Combine rinsed rice, 2 cups water, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp butter or oil in a medium saucepan.

Cook rice

Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer gently 15–18 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5–10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While rice cooks, finely dice the onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Mince the garlic cloves. Finely chop parsley if using.

Brown the meat

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. When hot, add 1 lb ground beef (or turkey), break into pieces with a spoon, and spread into an even layer. Let cook without stirring 2 minutes to develop color, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until almost browned, about 4–6 minutes.

Season and remove excess fat

Season meat with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder. If there's excess fat (for beef), tilt the pan and spoon out most of it, leaving a tablespoon to coat the pan.

Sauté vegetables

Push the browned meat to one side of the pan, add the diced onion, bell pepper, and carrot to the cleared space with an extra 1 tsp olive oil if the pan is dry. Sauté 4–5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Add tomato paste and deglaze

Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook 1 minute to concentrate the flavor. Pour in 1/2 cup broth (or water), 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (if using) to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes if using for heat.

Simmer to combine

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 3–5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly and flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed. Stir in chopped parsley just before removing from heat.

Fluff the rice with a fork and divide onto plates. Spoon the seasoned cooked 1 pound meat mixture over the rice (or mix together in the pan). Garnish with extra parsley if desired and serve hot.