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Considering that Texas was once part of Mexico, it's no mystery where Tex Mex recipes came from. It wasn't until 1845 that Texas joined the United States, making it the 28th state. 

In fact, before Texas joined the United States, it was its own independent country for nine years! As a result of this rich history, Tex Mex has become its own unique cuisine. 

To learn how to make 5 of the best Tex Mex recipes, check out the list below. 

1. Chile Con Carne

Many believe chile con carne was originally a Mexican dish, but they are mistaken. This is one of the oldest and most well-known Tex Mex dishes. 

Chile con carne is made with onion, garlic, spices, beans, tomatoes, and meat, but the ingredients can vary widely based on your taste. Surprisingly, the chile con carne eaten by Texan cowboys in the 1800s had neither beans nor tomatoes. 

2. Black Bean Salad

Unlike most salads, black bean salad is hearty and filling. You will need black beans, corn, garlic, tomatoes, lime juice, salt, oil, bell peppers, and cayenne pepper.

Like most Tex Mex recipes, you can vary the ingredients based on your tastes. For example, you may want to add avocado or cilantro. 

The dressing is made from the lime juice, cayenne pepper, salt, oil, and garlic. Combine these and shake them up. The other ingredients simply need to be prepared and combined. 

3. Tex Mex Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a Mexican dish, but they become Tex Mex with the addition of a few ingredients like flour tortillas. You will never find flour tortillas in traditional Mexican cuisine.

Enchiladas are made with butter, salt, pepper, oil, tortillas, enchilada sauce, meat, broth, onion, green chiles, sour cream, and cheese. First, prepare your filling.

Texas is big on beef, so a Tex Mex enchilada is often made with this meat as a filling. Arrachera, or beef skirt steak, is a popular choice. Check out this website for the recipe.

Next, heat up some oil in a pan and fry the tortillas until they're crisp. Then, put some of the filling in the tortilla and roll them up. Line them up in a baking pan, cover them with enchilada sauce, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

4. Mexican Rice

Mexican rice uses long grain rice, oil, tomato sauce, bouillon, salt, garlic, and cumin. All the spices make it extra flavorful. It's a staple as a side to any Tex Mex recipe.

Heat up some oil in the pan to fry up the rice. Then, add bouillon and water. Give it a few moments for the rice to soak up the bouillon and add the spices. 

Cover the rice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes on low heat until all the liquid is gone. 

5. Stuffed Peppers

After you know how to make Mexican rice, you can prepare Tex Mex-style stuffed peppers. Purchase either red or green bell peppers, slice off the tops, and remove the seeds. Then, bake them at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. 

While the peppers are baking, brown some ground beef in a saute pan. Combine the ground beef, some diced tomatoes, and Mexican rice. Stuff this mixture into the baked peppers, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Making Tex Mex Recipes

These Tex Mex recipes have similarities to some Mexican dishes, but are distinguished by the addition of a few ingredients that are not commonly used in Mexico. For example, the use of shredded cheese and flour tortillas are much more common in Tex Mex cuisine than in Mexican cuisine.

If you found this information about tex med food helpful, take a moment to check out our other culinary articles!