These taco bowls have to be one of the easiest meals we make at our house. It is even faster if you have precooked meat in the freezer – which you can read all about HERE! This is just another example about how simple living has infiltrated every aspect of our lives here at Grit Creek. In this post I am less worried about the recipe and honestly more concerned about giving you a framework to think about how to shop in your pantry for a meal and to make a supper down the road easier.
INSTRUCTIONS
Stop here for the details. The type of conversation we might have as we stand in the kitchen cooking together and drinking cold coffee or a glass of something that sparkles. Otherwise – scroll up and click the Jump to Recipe button.
COOK TOASTED RICE
First starters we are going to make the rice. Now there are certainly great recipes out there for what we like to call ‘toasted’ rice. Cole made it one night and now that is the only way we make stove top rice. The only issue is that we don’t have a recipe. So… we put three cups of rice in a sauce pan, toast the rice with a tablespoon or two of oil over medium heat so that the rice doesn’t burn. Then stand near the stove, cut veggies, wash dishes or turn on YouTube and wait for the rice to get toasted. Stirring frequently.
Once the rice is toasted, add water. It will sizzle and steam because the rice is hot so just be prepared and get your hands out of the way so they don’t get a steam burn.
How much water do you add to the toasted rice? Good question… usually add 2 cups of water, per cup of rice to start. More as needed while it simmers and soaks. Taste and see… if the rice is done. Add more water if you need, don’t end up with crunchy rice.
MAKE TACO FILLING
Right here – plan to make double. It is the same amount of time tonight to make a double batch, but in a week your leftovers will take 5 minutes.
In a pan, add a diced onion and heaping teaspoon of garlic for every pound of meat you plan to cook. Let the onions and garlic go for a few minutes, it should be sweet smelling then add the thawed meat. We used ground beef.
finding additional ingredients
While the meat is cooking through – find your other ingredients. This might be canned, fresh or frozen items. For us it was one 14 oz cans of black beans, one 7 oz cans green chiles, and one 28 oz petite diced tomatoes and about 1 tablespoon of taco season for each pound of beef. Other ideas, fresh tomatoes, the last half of the salsa jar, frozen hatch green chiles, or corn. Use what you have.
BUILD YOUR TACO BOWLS
Now to build the taco bowls is obviously very easy. Rice on bottom, filling on top with any toppings you might have. We would have loved to add lime, but we were out. So we have sour cream, hot sauce and cilantro to begin and then we remembered there was cheese so we also added cheese later.
SAVE HALF!
The last step is to bag, label and freeze the extra. I thought we would each about a third of this meal – but we ended up eating about half. So we put a little away for left overs and the rest is in a gallon bag laying it FLAT in the freezer, ready to pull out for another night of taco bowls, sometime in the next month. To reheat it will as simple as running it under hot water for a few minutes, putting it back in the sauce pan until it is all hot and serving it again. Now if you are a family that would eat this again for a meal in just a few days – there is not need to freeze it. The next step: add this meal to your planner, calendar or menu planner so that you remember there is an easy meal waiting for you in the freezer.
Congratulate yourself! You just made two meals.
SHOPPING LIST
