Ingredients
- 11 oz Pork sausage I used Cumberland, the skins removed
- 1 cup brown onion finely diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper medium small dice, not very fine it will wilt during cooking
- ¾ cup celery about 2-3 stalks diced
- 4 garlic cloves about 1 heaping teaspoon
- 2 teaspoon cajun spice
- 1 cup long grain rice such as basmati uncooked
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 thyme sprigs or dried thyme 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste seasoning will depend on which broth is used, best to use low sodium and add salt just a little, this dish has plenty of flavor and seasoning from the broth and sausages
- 2 large bay leaves
- Green opinion scallions or cilantro for garnish
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the sausage meat, breaking it down into small pieces with a wooden spatula. Cook until no longer pink. Drain the fat and remove to a side plate.
- In the same skillet, saute onion, bell pepper and celery. When onion is becoming translucent add in garlic, cajun, salt, pepper. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in uncooked rice (I washed and rinsed it prior), pour in broth, add bay leaves, thyme, and return the meat to the skillet.
- Bring to a boil, cover with lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 18 minutes until all the water has evaporated and rice cooked.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, remove the thyme, bay leaves and serve with green onions.
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips
- Brown the sausage harder than feels polite: Color is flavor. Let the crumbles sit undisturbed for a minute or two between stirs so they develop a real crust. Pale sausage makes pale-tasting rice.
- Rinse the rice, always: Thirty seconds under cold water until it runs mostly clear washes away the surface starch that makes rice gluey. It’s the cheapest insurance policy in this recipe.
- Use a lid that actually fits: A loose lid lets steam escape and leaves you with underdone rice at the 18 minute mark. If your lid wobbles, lay a sheet of foil over the pan first, then press the lid on top.
- Taste before you salt: I’ve made this with four or five different sausage brands over the years, and the salt level swings dramatically between them. Season at the end, after you’ve tasted the finished rice.
- Adjust for different rice varieties: Brown rice needs roughly double the simmer time and extra liquid, so it’s not a straight swap. Stick with long-grain white rice unless you’re prepared to babysit.
- Bring the heat your way: As written, this is family-mild. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne with the Cajun seasoning, or splash in hot sauce at the table, and it becomes a completely different animal.