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Creamy Queso Rice with Steak Strips

Creamy queso rice with steak is a Tex-Mex skillet dinner bowl with tender, golden rice coated in smooth queso and topped with seared steak strips. Finished with pico de gallo, cilantro, and jalapeños for a bright, spicy bite and a queso drizzle over the edges.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

sirloin steak
  • 1 lb sirloin steak Sliced into thin strips.
long-grain white rice
  • 2 cup long-grain white rice Cooked (about 2 cups cooked).
olive oil and spices
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 salt and black pepper To taste.
queso base
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic cloves Minced.
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 8 oz Velveeta or processed cheese Cubed.
  • 0.5 cup Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 pico de gallo For serving.
  • 1 cilantro For serving.
  • 1 jalapeños For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Season and sear steak
  1. Season the steak strips with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
  2. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat, then sear the steak strips for 2–3 minutes until browned and cooked to desired doneness; set aside.
Make creamy queso sauce
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the whole milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
  3. Add the cubed Velveeta and Rotel, stirring constantly until fully melted and smooth.
Coat rice and assemble bowls
  1. Toss the cooked rice with the queso sauce until evenly coated and creamy.
  2. Divide the queso rice into bowls and top with seared steak strips, pico de gallo, cilantro, and jalapeños.

Notes

For the smoothest queso, keep the heat at a gentle simmer while melting the Velveeta and stir constantly. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because processed-cheese queso can grain after thawing. For a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat processed cheese and 2% milk (texture stays creamy, but richness drops slightly).