Loaded with ground sausage full of delicious flavors this Sausage Dirty Rice is one recipe you definitely want to try making! As a main or a side, this is perfect all year long!
When I think of sausage and rice recipes, immediately Dirty Rice comes to mind. If you need to use up any leftover sausage this recipe is for you!
To be honest, this one pot Dirty Rice was the star of our meals! It is so loaded with flavor and sausage that it could be a meal on its own!
I loved mixing in some collards and a chunk of cornbread while eating this rice, yuuum! It is the perfect combination in my eyes.
The best part about this recipe is that it is SUPER easy to make! Not much to it other than adding in some ingredients and mixing all together, remember one pot!
We have been making this Sausage Dirty Rice for a long time, it’s always been a family staple and gets asked to be made more often than not.
I’m always happy to whip this dish up because I may just be slightly addicted to it! Trust me, when you try it you’ll see the exact reason why!
Some of my other favorite side dishes we have on our site include: Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Italian Sausage Stuffing and Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With easy to find ingredients and one pot this is super easy to throw together.
- Leftover rice is perfect to use with this dish!
- This is great as a main or a side dish, your choice!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Unsalted butter
All-purpose flour
Ground pork sausage
Ground cumin
Pepper
Paprika
Chicken stock
Garlic
Cooked white rice
Scallions
HOW TO MAKE SAUSAGE DIRTY RICE:
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Start by making the roux, place the flour and the butter into a small skillet over medium heat and whisk together. Continue to whisk until mixture turns to a medium to dark brown, about 5 minutes, set aside off heat.
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Over medium heat, place a dutch oven or thick-bottomed skillet. Allow to get hot and add the sausage, cumin, pepper, and paprika. Get a hard sear on the sausage, mixing it with the spices and letting it get browned and bits will stick to the bottom of the pan.
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Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the stock, scraping off all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and mix in until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the roux. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding in the rest of the stock slowly so the mixture doesn’t completely dry out. Stir occasionally.
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Add the rice, stir to combine everything, serve with scallion garnish, optional.
WHAT IS DIRTY RICE?
I know you have asked yourself what is in dirty rice? Traditionally, dirty rice is made with roux and chicken livers.
In this sausage dirty rice recipe, I have replaced the chicken livers with ground pork sausage. The sausage helps to add flavor to the rice along with a quick roux.
Some people would call this a not-so-dirty rice because there are no chicken livers in it. And, I’m okay with that!
IS THIS SPICY?
Most Dirty Rice recipes I have eaten out are very spicy. That is all dependent on your taste.
For my recipe below I have made it non-spicy. But if you love a kick to your dirty rice, Here are a few options to add heat:
- Purchase a pork sausage that is spicy already.
- Add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the sausage. You can do that in step #2 below in the recipe when you add the ground cumin and paprika.
- Add hot sauce to taste while serving.
HOW TO STORE:
This recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this recipe, place in a freezer container or bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost move to the refrigerator overnight, you can reheat in the microwave.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Leftover rice is perfect for this recipe.
- We like ground pork sausage for this but hamburger or another sausage can be used.
- Double this recipe if you want to serve a large gathering.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can make this as spicy or less spicy as you’d like, see my tips above.
If you want a delicious main or side dish recipe then you absolutely have to make a batch of my Sausage Dirty Rice!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this SAUSAGE DIRTY RICE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Sausage Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 5 cracks fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 cup chicken stock divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 scallions thinly sliced for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Start by making the roux, place the flour and the butter into a small skillet over medium heat and whisk together. Continue to whisk until mixture turns to a medium to dark brown, about 5 minutes, set aside off heat.
- Over medium heat, place a dutch oven or thick-bottomed skillet. Allow to get hot and add the sausage, cumin, pepper, and paprika. Get a hard sear on the sausage, mixing it with the spices and letting it get browned and bits will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the stock, scraping off all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and mix in until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the roux. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding in the rest of the stock slowly so the mixture doesn't completely dry out. Stir occasionally.
- Add the rice, stir to combine everything, serve with scallion garnish, optional.
Video
Notes
- Leftover rice is perfect for this recipe.
- We like ground pork sausage for this but hamburger or another sausage can be used.
- Double this recipe if you want to serve a large gathering.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can make this as spicy or less spicy as you'd like, see my tips above.
Comments & Reviews
Holly J says
Pretty Tasty!! I will definitely make this again.
Jeanne says
This was WONDERFUL!! I paired it with a plain arugula salad drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Amanda says
My family LOVES it!
Gene says
I’ve made this as described and it’s very good and quick! A couple of variations to change it up a bit –
1. Try another form of sausage like Cajun Style Andouille or another spicy link sausage.
2. Use Smoked Paprika instead of regular Paprika. You’ll really notice a difference!
3. I always keep Bacon grease when we cook Bacon. Substitute for the butter to make the Roux and you’ll get a great flavor! You can do this with Sausage grease too.
These are just variation ideas with absolutely nothing against the original recipe posted. It’s great as it is!
Meleya Dionne says
This was simple and tasted fantastic. I had all ingredients in hand. Thank you for a fantastic meal.
keyta dena Nacy says
Can you use a sweet seasoned ground sausage ?
Dana DeVolk says
yes, any sausage you like will work
Kathleen Tucker says
The whole family loved, even the picky teenager! Didn’t change a thing but skipped the scallions (didn’t have any). Will definitely be adding this to the regular menu rotation!
Mark S Fisher says
How many teaspoons or tablespoons is “5 cracks fresh black pepper,” please? Thanks!
Dana DeVolk says
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon
Teresa says
Yum! I added in a couple of bell peppers that I needed to use up, as well as fresh mushrooms and Cayenne pepper. Turned out amazing!
Mary F. says
This is the first recipe that I have used to make this dish. I have made it several times now, and while I have tweaked it more towards my family’s personal tastes; it is a staple. Thank you for a great recipe!
Kelly says
I did 1.5 batch and added a bit more spice including chili powder. Even my 13 year old enjoyec it. Even after draining the sausage i was struggling to get it to brown so i stirred in some flour and that did the job. In the end i added a bit extra water being i added that flour.
Carolyn says
Could the sausage and rice be cooked together adding chicken stock after the sausage is browned?
Dana DeVolk says
The amount of chicken stock would not be enough to cook the rice. However, I’m sure that method would work with a different measure of ingredients! If you try it, please let us know how it comes out.
Mariah says
I made this for the first time tonight and it was a HIT!! My boys, 2.5 and 1, absolutely loved it! It was super yummy and flavorful.