This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy, flavorful Texas Hash is a family favorite recipe! It’s made with ground beef, peppers, rice, tomatoes, and chili powder.

Quick and Easy Texas Hash
Texas Hash is a quick and easy skillet dish that combines ground beef, rice, and diced tomatoes cooked together with onions and bell pepper – plus a touch of chili powder and other seasonings.
What’s great about this recipe is that it all cooks in one skillet (love the easy cleanup!) – plus it’s a hearty and filling dish that the whole family will love.
It’s been a favorite recipe of A Family Feast followers for many years too. Some readers have told us that they serve it with buttermilk biscuits on the side and others use their Texas Hash as a filling for stuffed peppers!
Reader Review
“This was amazing!!! Smelling it while it was cooking was torture. I enjoyed every single bite and even kept the leftovers for myself instead of sending them to work with my husband. Even my “I don’t like rice” child ate every bite. I just went ahead and stirred the cheese into the entire thing at the end. Yummy!”-Stacy

As written, this easy tomato-based beef and rice dish is perfectly seasoned with just a bit of lingering heat in every bite from the added chili powder. If you are super sensitive to spicy foods, start with less – and if you love extra spicy foods, feel free to add more chili powder!
Key Ingredients
- Ground Beef – Choose an 80/20 ground beef mix (that means 80% beef/20% fat). While it’s higher in fat content than some other ground beef options, the fat adds flavor! Just be sure to drain any excess fat one you’ve browned the beef – see Cooking Tips below for more information.
- Onion – We typically cook with yellow onions for their prominent flavor. A white onion can also be used but it will make the onion flavor stronger in this dish. Spanish onions are another alternative. They are larger and milder than yellow onions.
- Green Bell Pepper – The pronounced flavor of green bell pepper works so well in this recipe. You can use a sweet red, orange, or yellow bell pepper instead, but the flavors will be mellower.
- Fresh Garlic – Always cook with fresh garlic – not the jarred stuff!
- Spices & Seasonings – Including dry mustard powder, chili powder, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Long Grain White Rice
- Tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes are in this dish, as well as tomato paste to thicken the sauce. See the notes at the bottom of the recipe card for some additional information.
- Water
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – For serving. This dish is equally good with or without cheese added on top when served.

Cooking Tips & Tricks
- Since you are using an 80/20 ground beef mixture, it’s very important to drain any excess fat from the skillet once you’ve cooked the ground beef and before you add the rice, tomato, and liquids. This will prevent the finished dish from being overly greasy.
- An easy way to remove the excess grease is to tip the skillet slightly, then use a turkey baster to suction up the excess grease.
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!

Texas Hash
This easy, flavorful Texas Hash is a family favorite recipe! It’s made with ground beef, peppers, rice, tomatoes and chili powder.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 pound ground beef, 80/20
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice (see notes for brand recommendations)
1 to 1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Instructions
- In a non stick or enamel skillet that has a tight fitting cover, heat olive oil over medium high.
- Add onion, peppers, garlic, ground beef, dry mustard, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sauté until ground beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef as you cook. (Drain any excess grease.)
- Add rice and cook for two minutes letting rice absorb liquid.
- Add tomato paste and cook for one minute.
- Add canned tomatoes with juice, one cup of water and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, cover and simmer on medium low to low for 10 minutes covered.
- Check the liquid. If the most of the liquid has absorbed, add a quarter cup more. Repeat this every five minutes of cooking.
- After 20 minutes, remove lid and check for doneness. If the mixture is too wet, cook for another few minutes with lid off, or add more tomato paste. If the rice is not fully cooked, add a little more water and continue cooking for about five more minutes.
- If you are using the cheese, sprinkle on top of individual portions.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Notes
Different brands of canned diced tomatoes have different tomato to water ratios. We made this recipe using Hunts canned diced tomatoes and one cup of water added to the cooking was enough. We made it again using Pastene canned diced tomatoes, and the ratio of water to tomatoes was less. This required us to add more water to cook the rice fully.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the origin of Texas Hash recipe? We found this recipe in my mother’s old recipe box, and (full disclosure) we made some adjustments to the seasonings to boost the flavor a bit. A reader in the comment section below mentioned that an old Betty Crocker Cookbook from the 1960s included a Texas Hash recipe that was baked. It’s entirely possibly my mom had that cookbook and/or found a recipe that adapted it to be a skillet meal.
- Can I make Texas Hash ahead of time? Yes! This dish reheats nicely.
- Can I make Texas Hash in a Slow Cooker? or Instant Pot? This recipe only takes 30 minutes to cook in a skillet so we’ve never tried making it in a slow cooker or instant pot. I’m sure it can be adapted but without some kitchen testing of a new recipe, we’d only be guessing at what changes to make.
- How do I reheat Texas Hash? We microwave individual portions to warm though. But, if you are serving a larger quantity, feel free to warm through in the same skillet you cooked in – just be sure to stir frequently so the hash doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet.
- How do I store leftovers? Place any leftovers in a covered container and refrigerate for up to three days.
- Can I freeze the leftovers? We’ve never tried freezing Texas Hash. (In general, rice softens and can even get mushy after it’s been frozen and thawed so the texture will likely change if you freeze this dish.)
- Can I use instant rice in this recipe? We haven’t tried it, but a reader in the comments had good luck adding instant rice about 10 minutes into the simmering process.

This Texas Hash recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in September 2014. We’ve updated the post and photos but the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might enjoy these other Rice Recipes

Click here for more delicious Tex-Mex Recipes!
See The Recipes





I used about a cup of rice and a small can of corn with juice. As others said, you can add or delete, spice it up or down and it will still be amazing. SOOOO good with the cheese too. And maybe a dollop of sour cream lands on top after it is in the bowl. =)
Oh yes Darlene – I love the idea of a dollop of sour cream on top! 🙂 Great idea!
I stumbled upon your site when i googled “what can i do with ground pork and rice”. My husband and I loved this! And i think the kids can be won over… I didn’t have any bell pepper so I used a handful of fresh chopped spinach thrown in right before the can of tomatoes. And i didn’t have any ground mustard, so I used about a tsp of dijon mustard. Also used my ground pork, of course. Great flavor! Will be making again.
Thanks Emily! So glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Sounds like some great substitutions!
This was amazing!!! Smelling it while it was cooking was torture. I enjoyed every single bite and even kept the leftovers for myself instead of sending them to work with my husband. Even my “I don’t like rice” child ate every bite. I just went ahead and stirred the cheese into the entire thing at the end. Yummy!
Thank you so much Stacy – so glad you all enjoyed the recipe!
My husband does not like rice. Can I make this with elbow macaroni? Do you have any thoughts on how I would do this?
Hi Rosemary – You might want to start with our American Chop Suey recipe as an alternative: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/american-chop-suey/ – and then you could change up the seasonings and herbs a bit to match the Texas Hash recipe. Hope that helps!
I’d never heard of this dish, but it sounded easy and delicious so we gave it a try. Definitely something we will make again. The leftovers were even better the next day!
Thanks Lesley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! (I agree – it does taste better the longer it sits!)
thank you
Would it be possible to make this in a crockpot? I made this the other week, my husband said this recipe was a keeper!
Hi Katherine – I really don’t know – the dish as written only takes about 30 minutes to prepare so I’ve never tried making this in a slow cooker. Sorry I can’t be more help!
I have one that my Mother in law makes that is called Texas Hash , it’s similar but not the Same . It’s very good and spicy with Rotel tomatoes and she bakes it . If you would like it , email me and I will send you the recipe . We love it
Thanks so much Sharon – we’d love to see the recipe! [email protected] – thank you!
Just made for dinner- great comfort food on a cold November night! I didn’t have tomato paste, so I skipped that, and it was still fabulous. I bumped up the rice to 3/4 c and that worked great. I added a little chipotle too, as we like it spicy. GREAT recipe, and I will print and make again for sure.
Thanks Amy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
very nice but needs 3x more rice.
Made this today. It was sooo good. My family devoured it. I used shredded pepper jack cheese on mine. My son & daughter wrapped some in a tortilla. I had a little that way and it was very good. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for the great recipe.
You’re very welcome! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love the idea of putting it in a tortilla!