This dish is a family pleasing meal in our house.  The best part for me is that it is super simple to make.  An added bonus is that it is a one dish meal so cleanup is a cinch!

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Bacon bits
• Onion
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• Diced tomatoes-canned, 15 ounces
• Black beans-canned, 15 ounces
• Cheese

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet.  (My favorite ground beef is the organic ground beef from Costco.  It is sold in packages of three and each is about 1 1/3 pound.)  I like to add bacon bits and onion as well.  Drain the fat and return to the stove.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes.
3. Top with cheese and cook just long enough to melt it.
4. To spice it up a bit, I like to top it with a little Creole seasoning.  Sliced green onions sour cream are also great additions.

*My kids tend to be a little on the picky side.  If there are big pieces of tomato, peppers or green chilies on their plate they make a fuss and pick them out.  My solution is to add the salsa and diced tomatoes to one half of the skillet and serve them from the plain side.