Our children are at camp right now where they are eating a years worth of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken patties and sloppy joes. Yes, these are things I serve once in awhile but my children are so excited to eat “kid” food for 12 days.  They both told me they love my cooking but sometimes it is nice to just have a plain hot dog. They will be happy when they come home though. When I asked what they wanted for dinner their first night home? They asked for Greek Chicken Kabobs with Tzatiki. Ah, my babies.

This was one of the last meals I served before they left for camp.

I think just about every family has some version of this in their family cooking history. My mother used to make something similar to this when we were growing up but she called it Spanish Rice and it had less meat, more tomatoes and less chili powder. Sometimes she would add hot dogs instead of ground beef if that was all she had on hand. This recipe was inspired by one from Pinterest for Texas Hash. (Click for link to original.)

I spiced this dish up a bit for my family. Start with less chili powder and cayenne if you want a less spicy dish and adjust to your liking. My son also added a bit of hot sauce to his plate.

Verdict:

This was an enjoyable dish. The kids thought it was good but nothing special. My daughter actually ate the meal even though it was made with rice which she does not care for. When I asked her about it she said she didn’t really notice the texture of the rice with all the spices, meat and tomatoes in it. It is a good meal for those nights that you want something easy and it cooks all in one skillet!

I served this dish with green beans and a green side salad.

This is also a gluten-free meal which makes my mostly gluten-free son very happy. Just double check your spices and Worcestershire sauce are gluten-free!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 pound ground beef, lean
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 (5 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 1/2 cups of beef stock
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a skillet that has a tight fitting cover, heat olive oil over medium high.
2. Add onion, peppers, garlic, ground beef, dry mustard, chili powder, salt and pepper to pan. Sauté until ground beef is no longer pink, breaking up the beef into small pieces with the side of a spoon as it cooks.
3. If there is an excessive amount of grease drain prior to adding rice. Add rice and cook for two minutes letting rice absorb any liquid in the pan.
4. Add tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes allowing the tomato paste to turn darker.
5. Add canned tomatoes with juice, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, remove lid and fluff the mixture then serve. If the mixture is too wet, cook for another few minutes with lid off.
7. Sprinkle the cheese on top for last few minutes of cooking time with lid on.