Our sausage and rice recipe is not only made in just one skillet, but it’s also the perfect comfort food that delivers great layers of rich flavor! As an added bonus, you’ll have dinner on the table in less than an hour!
When it’s time to get dinner on the table after a crazy busy day, skillet meals are a lifesaver for me! I hope you’ll try our one pot spaghetti, one pot burrito bowl, fiesta chicken, and Bisquick chicken pot pie! All of these recipes are quick, easy and perfect for weeknight meals.
What I Love About This Sausage and Rice Recipe
Well, as mentioned above, I love that this is made in one skillet. Not only does that make for fewer dishes I have to clean, but all the yummy flavors of the ingredients also get concentrated into your meal. It’s totally a win-win!
I love the combo of ingredients. Fluffy, flavorful rice surrounds tender bites of smoked sausage, all of it in a rich tomato sauce and a great spice combo. Most of all, my family loves it and leaves the dinner table with happy, full bellies!
Sausage and Rice Ingredients
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil.
- Sausage: The star of the dish! I use kielbasa for this sausage rice bowl because it’s so readily available, but you can use whatever type of sausage you like. Andouille is another favorite!
- Onion: I use a yellow or brown onion.
- Bell Pepper: You can use any color of bell pepper in this recipe.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, not the stuff that comes pre-minced in the little jars!
- Paprika: I use sweet paprika. If you like things spicy, use hot paprika.
- Italian Seasoning: I love this seasoning blend. I use McCormick perfect pinch, Italian seasoning.
- Cajun Seasoning: I like Slap Ya Mama. !
- Rice: Like sausage, you can use whatever type of rice you prefer in this recipe. I personally use long-grain white rice. For dishes like this, I generally use the Mahatma brand (no endorsement).
- Chicken Broth: Start with low sodium chicken broth.
- Diced Tomatoes: I like petite diced tomatoes.
- Tomato Sauce:
- Sugar: Adding just a bit of table sugar balances the acidity of the tomato products in this dish.
Tips:
Keep A Lid On It! Be sure to use a skillet with a tight fitting lid.
Rinse It: Be sure to rinse the rice in cold water and drain it well before beginning the recipe. Rinsing removes excess starch so the finished rice will have nice separation and be less sticky and gummy.
Additions: Get even more filling goodness by adding beans. Be sure to drain and rinse them before adding.
Sausage: Switch it up to whatever type of sausage you like best!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Leftovers will last in your fridge for up to four days. I think the dish tastes even better the next day, so get ready for a yummy lunch!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! You can freeze this recipe for up to two months, which means this is an awesome freezer meal. Portion it out or just put it all in a sealed container for an easy meal waiting any time!
- To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then warm it up on the stove or in the oven.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You could simply slice the sausage, and chop the veggies, and store them in baggies in the fridge. If you’d like to get a bigger head start on dinner, you can brown the sausage and peppers, allow the pan to cool, then cover and store in the fridge.
- You’ll want to use that same pan when you continue the dish because you’ll want to get all those brown bits up and incorporated into the finished dish.
- Since this sausage and rice recipe whips together so quickly — I’ve clocked it at 55 minutes! –I generally don’t bother with making it ahead.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How To Make Sausage and Rice
- Cook the sausages.
- Saute the veggies.
- Sprinkle the cajun seasoning and smoked paprika
- Add the Italian seasoning
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir
- Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the rice is tender.
***See the full instructions below.
Serving Recommendations
Since this recipe is such a hearty, filling dinner, I love serving it with a light dessert like my easy strawberry jello cake, pineapple sunshine cake, or lemon sheet cake!
More Rice Dishes
- Taco Rice
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Campbells Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- No Peek Chicken
- Chicken and Rice Soup
More One Skillet Recipes
- Chili Mac
- Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Hamburger Hash
- One Skillet Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Skillet Chicken
- Creamy Lemon Skillet Chicken
- Skillet Meatballs and Noodles
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- One Pan Gnocchi and Sausage
- Ground Beef and Potatoes
- Hamburger Gravy
- Cabbage Roll Skillet
- Cajun Shrimp
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sausage and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 14 ounces andouille, or kielbasa sausage, sliced
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups raw/uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1--1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juice
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 pinch of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, optional
- 3 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil (2 tablespoons). Add the sausage (14 ounces) and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate; set aside.
- Add the onion (1 cup), red, and green peppers and saute, adjusting heat if needed, until the veggies soften. Add the garlic (4 cloves) and saute for another 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Sprinkle smoked paprika (2 teaspoons) in the skillet and saute, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in Cajun seasoning (3 teaspoons) and Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons).
- Stir in the rice (1 1/2 cups), chicken broth (1 to 1.5 cups), diced tomatoes including juice (1 can), tomato sauce (1 can), and a pinch of sugar.
- Stir the skillet well making sure all the rice is well coated. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up all brown bits. Return browned sausage to skillet.
- Bring to a boil, immediately reduce heat to low, cook covered until rice is tender, about 22-25 minutes. If rice is undercooked, add a little water or broth and cook, covered, until tender. Remove from heat. Adjust seasoning if needed. Remove the lid, stir, then allow to rest 10-15 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley (2 tablespoons), and green onions (3 tablespoons) then serve.
I would really like to try this but I can’t have any form of Hot peppers does it really have to have Cajun seasoning in it?
Hi, Ivy. It’ll change the flavor, but I think it’ll work, just adjust the seasoning or you can try our instant pot chicken and rice.
Just made this for my lunch. Delish! Thanks so much for the amazing recipe.
Yay, thank you for your positive review, Shweta! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I admit, I almost ate the half of the recipe! It’s so good!
Oopsy! Hehe. Thank you, Rhiana. Glad you loved it 🙂
I would like to mention 3 tsp should be written as 1 TBS !!! Cajun seasoning
LOL!!