This quick and easy Asian Ground Beef and Rice recipe requires a simple list of real ingredients, only one pan, and under 30 minutes from start to finish!
I've mentioned it before but, like any good child of the 80s, I ate my fair share of Hamburger Helper growing up (and I was actually quite fond of it). Now as a busy (read: tired) mama, I can certainly appreciate the convenience of these simple ground beef and rice recipes:
- Brown some ground beef.
- Throw a few boxed ingredients into the same pan.
- And voilà...about 20 minutes later, you've got a hot meal on the table.
But seeing as how I strive to feed my family recipes made from real, unprocessed ingredients, the good ol' smiling hand guy doesn't exactly fit in with my style of meal planning.
Lucky for me, however, this doesn't mean I can't recreate the same type of quick, easy, one-pan dinners while using real, wholesome ingredients.
And doing so honestly doesn't take much longer than that dinner originating from a box. 😉
I've already shared my copycats for Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, Lasagna, and Beef Taco varieties. But one of my favorite flavors of HH as a kid was called Rice Oriental.
So that's the one to which I'm paying homage with today's ground beef and rice recipe...except this one-pan, Asian-inspired version is made with fresh, natural ingredients, meaning it ends up tasting waaaaay better.
How to Make It
Luckily, making this from-scratch, ground beef and rice recipe is just as straightforward as its boxed predecessor:
- Start out by browning a pound of ground beef in a large pan or skillet.
- Stir in rice, beef broth, soy sauce, and a few seasonings.
- After about 10 minutes, mix in shredded carrots, and then just before the rice and carrots are tender, add some frozen peas.
That's it, y'all!
One pan.
A handful of basic ingredients.
Under 30 minutes.
Protein + veggies + carbs.
An all-in-one meal!
I like to add a simple side salad to round things out and dinner...is...DONE!
So shoot it to me straight...do you have (or have you had in the past) a secret (or not-so-secret) affinity for Hamburger Helper?
Whether your answer is yes or no, I think you will love this One-Pan Asian Ground Beef and Rice recipe!
It's simple and yummy, popular with kids and adults alike, and made with ingredients that you likely already keep on hand. In fact, from the first time I cooked it, it secured a spot in our regular dinner rotation. That's right, fellow children-of-the-80s, sing it with me...MAKES A GREAT MEAL! 😉
More One-Pan & One-Pot Dinners
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- One-Pot Pizza Pasta
- Skillet Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Casserole
- 30-Minute Skillet Pastitsio {Greek Lasagna}
One-Pan Asian Ground Beef and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, such as Jasmine
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Instructions
- Set a large skillet, pan, pot, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart and stirring as the meat cooks. Drain the grease from the pot; add the rice, beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic powder, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then stir and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in shredded carrots and continue to cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice and carrots are tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Stir in the thawed peas and cook for another minute until heated through.
Notes
- If you don't have oyster sauce, you may omit it, but I always keep a bottle in my fridge because I think it adds great depth of flavor to Asian recipes. If you don't include it in this recipe, you might find that you need to stir in a bit more soy sauce (to taste) at the end of the cooking time.
- To quickly thaw my frozen peas, I place them in a colander and run them under hot tap water for a minute.
- When you bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer, make sure that the simmer is a simmer...not barely bubbling (or the rice won't cook and absorb the liquid) and not bubbling too fast (or the liquid may get absorbed too fast and the bottom may burn). For my stove, this was medium-low heat, adjusting up or down a tad as needed when I would stir every few minutes.
- If too much liquid remains once your rice is cooked, you may remove the lid and turn up the heat for a minute or two, stirring so that it doesn't burn. If the liquid evaporates before the rice is done and everything starts to stick to the bottom, you may stir in a bit more broth or water.
Post originally published on January 9, 2017.
Trena Davis
Love it, just made it an family loves it!! Thanks!
Tammy DeWitt
When I make this, instead of shredded carrots and peas, I add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables
Amanda
Is this similar to the HH beef fried rice they stopped making a couple years ago. Also wondering if I Could I use minute rice (what I have on hand) and just not cook it as long?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Amanda! When I ate HH back in the 80s/90s, the Asian variety had a "less PC" name, but I bet it's the same flavor as the one you're referring to. 🙂 And minute rice should work, but since it will cook faster and not absorb as much liquid as regular rice, you'll want to experiment with reducing the beef broth. Hope that helps!
genger
This recipe turned into a family moment, I kept saying "and I helped" to my adult daughter. It ended up in a story and watching the video. This was perfect. I misread the recipe (see laughter note above) and cooked my rice first. I also added frozen broccoli and whole carrots, both frozen, as it was what I had in the pantry. I used a can of english peas (added add the VERY end). I also added garlic (omitted the powdwer) and onion while I browned my ground beef. DON'T add salt at this step as the oyster sauce and soy sauce had plenty. I also used dried bouillain to made my beef broth ( see don't add salt). So good! Thanks for the nostalgia.
Samantha Skaggs
Ha ha, glad it was a hit and that y'all had fun with it! I'm going to have to dig up the old commercial on YouTube now... 😉
Seasons01
This was very good. I fried Onion & celery in butter. Then I added garlic clove to the pan for one minute, smooshed, and cut small. My carrots were cut up but small so I added them when the broth went in. They got done perfectly.
Cliff
I have had bad experiences with hamburger, so I chose low cost steak and ground it myself. Doing this does lose some of the flavor, from the missing fat, but at least I know what's in it.
Normally I would add 1 - 2 Tbsp of sesame oil to a dish like, but left it out this time, to stick as close to the recipe as possible.
You earned two thumbs up, from my 5 and 3 yr (tomorrow) year old boys. They were so please with the dish, that they also devoured their large portions of broccoli 🙂
I had only bookmarked this one recipe, but it was such a success, I'm going to go through the rest of them
Norene Koester
This was so yummy! I needed to substitute due to food sensitivities. I used diced celery, which I threw in while browning ground beef since it would take longer to cook than the shredded carrots. I already had leftover brown rice so I did not need to cook the rice in pan, thus I eliminated the broth. And due to the food sensitivities, I used ample Bragg Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce alternative) with no gulten). Also I used a teaspoon each of cumin & ginger to replace the garlic. It was delicious and we will make again. Thank you!
Caroline
I didn't expect this to turn out as good as it did! It was delicious and easy. Like others, I stumbled upon it and did not have all the ingredients. I didn't have oyster sauce and only had chicken broth, but it still turned out great. This will definitely become a staple at our house. I made a couple of minor changes, I sauteed onion and garlic, then added the ground beef. I also threw in some sliced green onion at the end with the peas/carrots. Thanks for this recipe!!
NENE
I am so excited to have found this recipe because like the others here, I also check for the rice oriental hamburger helper every now and then! Question... Is the rice the recipe calls for instant rice or regular cook rice? Have you tried making this with brown rice as well? I can’t wait to give it a try! Thank you so much!
Samantha Skaggs
I'm so glad you found this recipe, too! 🙂 The recipe just calls for regular white rice. If you were to make it with brown rice (I haven't tried yet!), you'd have to cook the rice for about twice as long, which means you'd definitely need extra liquid. I hope it works out if you decide to give it a try...and I'll be sure to update the recipe with more specific directions if I do. 😉
Nicole Sheridan
Oriental Hamburger Helper was always my favorite and i happened to stumble upon this recipe. Made it tonight,added just a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and my whole family raved about how good it was. Even my 9 yr old picky eater. Great meal, great recipe.
Melissa W
I just made this. I didn't have some of the ingredients (I thought I did) and it still turned out so good! It was the best. Making this again for sure!!
Cynn
Oh My! I LOVED HH Rice Oriental growing up. I still randomly check the HH shelf in the grocery store in hopes they might have decided to bring it back! 🤫
But now I don’t need to keep checking, because your recipe is delicious, and spot-on reminds me of the original flavors. Thank you for a wonderful and healthy alternative to a childhood favorite!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Your comment made me smile, Cynn. I have the same fond childhood memories of Hamburger Helper... 😉
Valerie
I just made this for the first time and it was a hit with the family. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much for a new favorite.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm so happy to hear that, Valerie! 🙂