If you’re racing against time you can create a healthy and quick meal with this recipe. Easy-to-make doesn’t mean fattening or flavorless.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, crumbled
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1½ cups water
- 1 8 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups white rice
Directions
- In a large skillet brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Cook the beef until it is light brown.
- Drain any fat from the beef.
- Stir in the salt, green bell pepper, onion, basil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, pepper, tomatoes (with juice), water, and rice.
- Bring the beef mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat until the beef mixture is simmering. Cover the skillet and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes. The rice should be tender when done.
Note: When using dried herbs instead of fresh divide the recipe amount by 1/3. For example, if using dried basil the amount should be 2 tsp.
Cooking with ground beef calls for food safety procedures. Following these steps will help ensure that your food will be friend and not foe:
- Try and pick up your meat products next to last. This is a bit difficult to do without some planning. Many supermarkets are not designed with this in mind.
- Wash down all surfaces and utensils before using. Use only clean cloths or paper towels to minimize cross contamination.
- Wash your hands before handling food. Wash your hands after handling raw food. Wash your hands between handling different types of food. Oh, did I mention, 'Wash your hands'? This one act will dramatically cut down the chance of getting food poisoning.
- E. Coli is present in all cuts of beef, but most often in ground beef. Ground beef must be cooked until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 160°F to ensure that dangerous bacteria are destroyed.