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
Just assembled this and can’t wait to try – at what temperature ??????
Hi Hans – You can serve it right away (served hot or warm)
Growing up in Texas, it’s always been a favorite. I usually add a can of green chili peppers, but didn’t have any today. I added some cayenne pepper for a little zest. And I topped it with Mexican style 4 cheese topping. I’m trying to stay out of it until meal time!
I love the extra zestiness you add to this recipe Jacque! Thanks for the suggestions!
1st time made it, the rice didn’t cook completely. Next time I cooked 1 cup dry rice separately, doubled the seasonings, put only a half cup of water into meat mixture, then stirred cooked rice into the rest. Added a half bag of frozen corn. Put some shredded cheddar on top as serving. Delicious !
Thanks for sharing Kathy!
Made this a few times and it’s brilliant, I double everything up to make a big batch! Sometimes it can be a bit crunchy (I think it’s the rice), do I need to cook it longer?
Hi Nick – I responded to your question last week – so sorry if you missed the response? Yes – I’m guessing your rice is a little undercooked if it’s crunchy. I’d test the texture after 20 minutes, and if it is still crunchy, cover and cook until it’s tender. Anyway – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this a few times and it’s brilliant, I double everything up to make a big batch! Sometimes the rice can be a bit crunchy (I think it’s the rice), do I need to cook it longer?
Glad you are enjoying the recipe Nick. Yes – I’m guessing your rice is a little undercooked if it’s crunchy. I’d test the texture after 20 minutes, and if it is still crunchy, cover and cook until it’s tender.
This was great! I used 3 bell peppers (various colours), added the cheese at the end and doubled the chilli powder as we like spicy food. Next time I may even add jalapenos for more of a kick . I served it wrapped in tortillas with a side salad. Delicious!
Great ideas Judith! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I don’t eat meat, do you think crumbles would work?
Hi Carolyn – I’ve never tried crumbles so I don’t really know how that compares to ground beef. If you try it, please let us know how it comes out!
Very nice app
Thank you!
My mother who grew up in the 60s with these kinds of meals absolutely loved this dish. I thought I would like it too but to me it tasted bland and one note. I would recommend tablespooons of the spices instead of teaspoons to give this more flavor and dimension!
Hi LL – thanks for your feedback. You can always adjust the seasonings in a recipe to suit your tastes!
Tasted terrific. Doubled the recipe, came out great
Thanks Erin – glad you liked it!