Dirty Rice with Sausage

Dirty Rice with Sausage is a hearty dish consisting of a balance of browned pork sausage, softened veggies, long-grain rice, and Cajun seasoning. Perfect as a complete meal or side dish! At the heart of it all, it’s a great Southern side dish that I ate by the pounds!

While Dirty Rice with Sausage may look ‘dirty’ and not as fancy as some other meals, it’s rich in flavor and irresistible texture thanks to the fluffy rice, browned pork sausage, herbs, aromatics, and sautéed vegetables.

Simple ingredients and even simpler recipe steps makes this Dirty Rice with Sausage my number one choice when I want a delicious main meal or side dish with minimal effort!

🌟 WHY I LOVE THIS DIRTY RICE WITH SAUSAGE

Dirty Rice with Sausage is made with budget-friendly ingredients – great for midweek family meals.

It’s a one-pan recipe, reducing clean-up in the kitchen and an easier cooking process.

Make a hearty and wholesome meal in just over 30 minutes. The combination of vegetables, rice, and sausage makes it a balanced and nutritious meal.

🍽 KEY INGREDIENTS

Pork sausage – I use Cumberland sausage for this dish with the skins removed.
Rice – Long-grain rice, such as basmati rice, is best for this recipe. Leftover cooked rice is another option, but then you will need to add it towards the end of the recipe and shorten the simmering time.
Vegetables – A combination of brown onion, green bell pepper, celery
Seasoning and aromatics – You’ll need garlic cloves, Cajun spice, thyme sprigs (or dried thyme), salt, bay leaves, and black pepper.
Cooking liquid – Chicken broth. You can use low-sodium chicken broth to keep the salt content low in this rice dish.

Swaps

Sausage – You can use another type of sausage, such as beef, turkey, or chicken sausage. Ground pork or beef can be used instead of sausage.

Broth – Vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth.

Rice – Brown rice or another preferred type of rice can be used, although you will need to adjust the recipe to accommodate this to prevent undercooked rice.

🥣 EQUIPMENT

You’ll need a large skillet, a wooden spatula, and a plate.

🔪 HOW TO MAKE

This one-pan dirty rice with sausage is quick and easy, combining simple ingredients to have dinner on the table in just a little over 30 minutes. Here are my fail-proof steps to making this hearty and satisfying dirty rice with sausage.

Preparations

Prepare all of the ingredients, such as dicing the veggies and rinsing the rice, and heat the large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cooking Instructions

Step 1
Cook the sausage in the skillet, breaking it apart with a wooden spatula under no longer pink. Drain any excess fat from the browned sausage and then transfer the cooked sausage to a plate.

Step 2
In the same skillet, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Step 3
Add in the garlic, Cajun, salt, and pepper once the onions have turned translucent. Cook for another 30 seconds.

Step 4
Stir in the uncooked rice. Add the broth, bay leaves, thyme, and the set aside browned sausage. Bring the mixture to a boil and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 18 minutes until the water has evaporated and the rice is fully cooked.

Fluff the rice with a fork, remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and serve this dish was a sprinkling of chopped green onions.

💭 COOKING TIPS

Don’t be heavy-handed when seasoning this dish. Depending on the type of sausage used, it may be best to add the salt and pepper at the end of the cooking.

Be mindful that different types of rice cook at different rates and require different amounts of cooking liquid. You will need to adjust this recipe or even partially cook the rice if you use a longer-cooking rice variety, such as brown rice.

This Dirty Rice with Sausage isn’t spicy hot. For an extra kick of heat, add in some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. You could also add a splash of your favorite hot sauce into the mixture towards the end of the cooking time.

🥗 WHAT TO SERVE WITH DIRTY RICE WITH SAUSAGE

Main Dish

Serve this Dirty Rice with Sausage as a main meal alongside Oven Roasted Vegetables, Vegetable Au Gratin, leafy salad, and Cornbread.

Side Dish

This Dirty Rice with Sausage can also be enjoyed as a side dish to Crockpot BBQ Pork Roast, Instant Pot Corn Casserole, or Instant Pot Corn Soup.

🙋 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

🍳 RELATED RICE RECIPES

• The Best Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
• Instant Pot Beef and Rice
• Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Instant Pot Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

👪 SERVING SIZE

This Dirty Rice with Sausage serves 5 generous portions. You can easily cook a second batch to serve more people or to store it away in the fridge or freezer for later use.

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📋 RECIPE