I’m not sure this is really paella, but it’s yummy, all the same. The legit form of Paella is : “a Spanish dish of rice, saffron, chicken, seafood, etc., cooked and served in a large shallow pan.” Instead of Spanish, this dish is more Mexican in flavor… and instead of saffron, there’s plenty of chili powder, cumin, paprika, and coriander. Of course, the chicken and seafood are a no-go, too. I used deer (shhhh!), but you can use beef if you like. You really could do any type of meat you wanted (or use beans and go meatless).
This was one of those wonderful accidental dishes that just fell in my lap because of the odd mix of things I needed to use up in the refrigerator. Don’t you love it when that kind of frugal magic happens? So nice to get a WIN instead of a dud out of the leftover items and nearly expired food in the kitchen!
I figured I should get in here quick and write down what I put in it, since there was no recipe. I got lots of ideas from a Pinterest post where the other cook created a “taco” on top of a bed of rice. Taco Skillet was what she called it. However, I took it to different levels with actual crumbled almond-flour taco shells we had left over from a previous night’s enchilada meal where I had cooked too many tortillas to fit in the enchilada pan. I also made the rice into Spanish rice (since that’s my favorite), and I added a side dish (Mexican Creamy Corn)… which I have no idea if I’ve shared before… so I’ll list the recipe for that in here also – just for fun.
My husband said it kind of tasted like a Mexicany Verts. I took that as a compliment, since he loves to eat at Vert’s (as do I). I tend to get the sauces too hot when I eat there, though, and wind up with numb lips. I was calling it “deconstructed tacos on Mexican rice”, but my oldest and the hubs decided to call it Ranchero Paella. Ranchero reminds me of breakfast foods… so I opted for Rancho instead.
Hope you like it! I sure do. This one is going on our regular rotation. Quick, easy, and yummy!
- RICE SKILLET
- 3/4 lb ground deer or beef
- 1 tbsp avocado oil (optional if your meat is fatty enough)
- 1.5 cups cooked basmatti rice
- 1/2 chopped red onion or 2-3 large shallots
- 1/2 chopped yellow or red bell pepper
- 1/2-1 chopped jalapeno (optional)
- 1 large piece chopped/shredded kale
- 1 chopped/fine-julienned rainbow carrot
- 1 handful chopped cilantro (save some for salad topping)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- dash cayenne and/or turmeric (optional)
- 1-2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- dash Tajin seasoning (or dash lime juice)
- 1/2-1 tsp ground corriander
- sprig or two of chopped fresh oregano
- SALAD TOPPING
- chopped lettuce
- chopped red cabbage
- chopped swiss chard
- chopped cilantro (optional)
- crumbled pan-fried tortillas (we used almond-flour tortillas)
- crumbled cotija cheese
- MEXICAN CREAMY CORN
- 1 small bag frozen corn (can used canned if you must)
- 1 small chopped shallot
- 1/2 chopped jalapeno or jalapeno seasoning (can omit or use pickled jalapenos, also)
- dash of Tajin or lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped cilantro (optional)
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2-1 cup of fresh plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- pan fry your meat with the oil
- cook your rice as directed (for perfect basmatti, use 1 part rice, 2 parts water, butter, salt, and cover for 15 minutes after it boils and you stir once)
- cook your corn with butter until warmed through and drain if you use canned corn
- chop all your veggies for the skillet pile-up, throw them in as you go, adding to the cooked meat when it is no longer pink and continue to stir, putting the leafy things on last
- add the rice to the skillet and mix well with meat and veggies, adding the hot sauce and spices, and continue to stir so that all the white rice is coated well – lower heat and stir every so often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan
- add all of the corn recipe ingredients and stir well, lowering heat so the yogurt won’t burn, leave to simmer as you finish other dishes
- dice salad topping and crumble cotija into small bowl
- place rice dish on plate, top with crumbled tortilla, top that with salad mix, top that with cotija cheese and place corn on the side. Add cilantro as garnish if so desired.
Yum! Thanks!
🙂 Let me know what you think of it.