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Looking for an easy dinner? Try this Texas Hash with ground beef, rice, tomatoes and pepper. Starts on the stovetop and bakes in the oven.

Table of Contents

About this Texas Hash
Ingredients Needed
How to Make Texas Hash
Recipe Variations
Texas Hash Recipe

Matt grew up on a dinner called “6 Layer Dinner”. He says it contained ground beef, rice, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and a few other purposely forgotten ingredients. He didn’t like it, so any time I fix a dinner that has any combination of these ingredients, I hold my breath and give him a warning.

I preface the dinner with “You may not want this, and that’s ok.” Matt’s an amazing husband and he’ll eat anything I put in front of him, ya know?

I gave him that warning with this Texas Hash, but guess what? He loved it. And I consider that 100% a win.

overhead view of texas hash in a cast iron skillet

About this Texas Hash

Flavor: Although this casserole has chili powder, it has a very mild flavor, suitable for everyone in the family. The ground beef, garlic, onion and rice give a familiar flavor that blend well together.
Texture: I loved this casserole because it wasn’t mushy. The rice soaks up the juice from the diced tomato perfectly. If you use a cast iron skillet, it gets a little crispy around the edges. So good!
Method: Some texas hash recipes are made completely on the stovetop. This one starts on the stovetop, then ends in the oven. I love this method because I can prep the recipe in 15 minutes, then get side dishes ready or sit down and rest while the casserole is in the oven. Super easy.

Ingredients Needed

Ground beef: 85% lean ground beef
Onion: Yellow onion is best for cooking and casseroles.
Green pepper: Every summer, I freeze garden green peppers in small bags for soups and casseroles. I defrosted a bag of diced green pepper, drained off the liquid and it worked beautifully in this recipe. Use fresh green pepper if you’d like.
Tomatoes: Just as with the green pepper, I also freeze diced tomatoes. I used two cups (16 ounces) of diced tomatoes from our garden that I had in the freezer. Allow them to defrost, but don’t drain the juice. The juice will help the rice to soften and cook. Use canned tomatoes with the juice if you don’t have frozen garden tomatoes.
Rice: Long grain rice, not instant rice.
Chili powder: Use more than 1 teaspoon if you’d like a spicy kick.
Worcestershire sauce: This adds flavor.
Garlic: Instead of buying fresh garlic, I keep a jar of minced garlic in the refrigerator which helps keep meal prep quick.
Salt & pepper
Cheddar cheese: You can easily leave off the cheese for a dairy, but I’m one that thinks cheese always makes a recipe better. (In fact, cheddar cheese is even in our pineapple casserole!)

How to Make Texas Hash

This is an excellent cast iron skillet recipe. If you have one, I highly recommend using it. It gives great flavor and the edges will be sizzling when you take it out of the oven.

In a large 12” cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion and pepper together until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables start to soften. Drain off any fat.
Add the tomatoes, uncooked rice, chili powder, worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well.
Cover the cast iron skillet (or other ovenproof skillet or baking pan) with an oven-safe lid or with aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake covered for 35-45 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Once the casserole comes out of the oven, fluff the rice with a fork and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

a bowl of texas hash with slices of bread

Recipe Variations

Brown rice will work as well.
Add taco seasoning instead of chili powder for a Mexican flair.
Ground turkey or chicken will work, but it will change the flavor slightly.
Add a can of drained corn or rinsed and drained black beans.

Make it a meal.

Wondering what to serve with this all-in-one Texas Hash? Try one of these:

Learn how to safely thaw ground beef.

Have a picky eater? Try one of these tricks to get them to eat protein-packed beef.

Texas Hash

4.53 from 57 votes

Looking for an easy dinner? Try this Texas Hash with ground beef, rice, tomatoes and pepper. Starts on the stovetop and bakes in the oven.

Servings 5

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

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Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion diced
1 green pepper diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cups canned tomatoes with juice (16 ounces)
½ cup uncooked long grain rice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese optional

Instructions

In a large 12” cast iron skillet (or other skillet) over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion and pepper together until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables start to soften. Drain off any fat.
Add the tomatoes, uncooked rice, chili powder, worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well.
Cover the cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet or baking pan) with an oven-safe lid or with aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake covered for 35-45 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Use a fork to fluff the rice. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.
Serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making about 5 cups, with 1 serving being 1 cup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**