South Texas Rice

Jump to Recipe

The Lone Star State has generally been inhospitable to Amish settlements, but one community hangs tough in south Texas near the town of Beeville. Read more about Beeville and see photos here. The community has been there for almost 20 years and is quite small.  The cooking style, however, has begun to reflect the local cuisine: jalapenos, okra, salsa, and other Tex-Mex influences are strong. I have been to the Beeville Amish settlement and was introduced to this amazing South Texas Rice recipe by an Amish couple there. The Amish couple was quite friendly. They made their own cheese, yogurt, and loved growing native jalapenos, and peppers.

Jump to:

• 🍚 South Texas Rice Ingredients
• 📋 Rice Instructions
• 🍚 More Amish Rice Recipes
• 🖨️ South Texas Rice

Take a quick tour with me of the Beeville community.

Here is The South Texas Rice recipe from the settlement which reflects the blending of south-of-the-border flavors with traditional Amish. I was delighted and surprised to find this recipe.   It's very flavorful, but not overpoweringly hot for those of you squeamish about spices. And, look, if you absolutely must, just leave out the jalapeno altogether and you'll still have a good, flavorful dish. This dish is definitely a "stand-alone" meal with the hamburger providing plenty of protein.

Wonderful Rice

Brown the hamburger in a cast-iron skillet, a stainless steel skillet, or something no stick. The ground beef in this rice dish really make it more of a meal in itself than a side dish.

As a general rule, rice has found a welcome home among the Amish. Rice transports well and is quite shelf stable, so bulk bags of rice can often be found in Mom and Pop Amish stores. The rice is then taken home and mixed into casseroles, meatloaf, puddings, and more. Rice, while Asian in origin, is definitely become part of Amish culinary culture.

South Texas Rice is a one-pot dish that melds some of the most powerful flavors of the Rio Grande region with traditional Amish staples like hamburger and tomatoes.

You can experiment with this recipe and that makes it fun. Use brown rice instead of white, for instance. You could use sausage with this recipe, ground turkey, ground pork, ground venison or a meaty blend of all of the above. This recipe is a pure Tex-Mex favorite that just isn't seen as much in other Amish settlements, although spice is starting to catch on elsewhere.

🍚 South Texas Rice Ingredients

• 1 /2  pound hamburger
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped,
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups of white rice
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 -2 teaspoons taco seasoning
• 1 teaspoon chili mix
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons Fajita seasoning
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 teaspoon basil

📋 Rice Instructions

1. In a very large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the hamburger, green and red peppers, and onion. 
2. Drain off the grease, then add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined. 
3. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. 
4. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet.  Allow the mixture to simmer until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 30 minutes.

Don't forget to leave a review of this recipe.

🍚 More Amish Rice Recipes

Famous Chicken and Rice - So good!

Gloria's Taco Rice - Incredible!

Rice and Sausage Bake - Amazing!

The Bishop's Rice - Super!

🖨️ South Texas Rice