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Quick Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe

August 24, 2015 By Gwen Brown 14 Comments

dirty rice (1 of 5)This cajun dirty rice recipe is a hearty, savory, and FAST one pot meal that my family loves. I first tried the recipe DirtE Rice from the Coers Family blog. Oh. My. Word.

Although I really adore ethnic recipes, I’ve never really tried my hand at Cajun food. Well, I’m sold. My whole family loves this one.

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dirty rice (2 of 5)

To make it an even quicker dish, and to take the edge off of the heat, I use beef sausage. It’s precooked and it lends a little more fat and flavor. Fat tames back heat in recipes, and I cut back the Cajun seasoning a bit for the spice challenged in my crew and serve red pepper on the side for the spicy red-bearded Viking man that I married.

[bctt tweet=”To make dirty rice even quicker, & to take the edge off of the heat, use beef sausage. #THM #recipe”]

If you’re a Trim Healthy Mama, this dish ranks as a crossover. If you want to create a slimming E meal, then use a ground turkey or chicken breast that’s 97-99% fat free like the Coers family recipe recommends.

In fact, next time I make this,  (which will be this week) I might use half of a pound of chicken breast and just serve my bowl without any sausage rounds to keep myself in E territory, and to boost the protein power of the dish a little further.

dirty rice (3 of 5)

Speedy Dinner Tips: pre-chopped big batches of celery, peppers, and onions and freeze flat on a cookie sheet, then dump into a bag in the freezer. You can just grab a handful when you need them f0r recipes!

I also plan a dish that includes brown rice earlier in the week and make extra so I will have it ready to go on dirty rice night. dirty rice (4 of 5)

To make this recipe, you’ll need 2 cups of cooked brown rice, one package of sausage of your choice cut into rounds, 2 cans of red kidney beans, a splash or two of chicken broth, and chopped bell pepper (I used yellow), onion, celery, and garlic. I use Cajun seasoning, parsley, and a touch of smoked paprika to make the flavors pop.

I start by browning the rounds of sausage. Getting a nice brown sear on the bottom puts lots of flavor into the pot. Then I add my veggies, sauteing until almost soft. Finish it off by adding your pre-cooked rice, drained and rinsed beans, and spices. I like to add a shot or two of chicken broth at the end to make all those flavors marry up well together. dirty rice (5 of 5)

At my house, this is a one pot meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes. And with school starting and the fall weather on the way, it just feels like the right time to start getting out the big iron stew pot and start cranking out some quick savory meals.

[bctt tweet=”Dirty Rice is a one pot meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes. #THM #dinner”]

Thanks Coers family for the inspiration, and a new family favorite!

Cajun Dirty Rice Pin & Printable

To Pin!

a quick one pot cajun dirty rice dish that's hearty, healthy, and quick to make family favorite. [a THM crossover]

4.0 from 3 reviews
Quick Cajun Dirty Rice
 
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This one pot Cajun rice & beans recipe is a fantastic quick meal that my whole family loves. It's a THM crossover with sausage, but you can keep it in E territory by using ground chicken breast instead.
Author: Gwen
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 package beef sausage, or sausage of your choice
  • *or* 1 lb. 97-99% fat free ground turkey or chicken breast, or a combination of the sausage and ground meats.
  • ½ cup diced bell pepper (I prefer the milder red or yellow)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • 2 cans red beans, drained & rinsed
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • ¼ cup chicken broth or water
  • 1 teaspoon (or up to 1 Tablespoon if you like things spicy) Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning- I love that it's MSG free!
  • 2 tablespoons dry parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
  1. Cut sausage into rounds.
  2. In a large pot or dutch oven, brown sausage rounds, stirring and flipping.
  3. As they cook down, add ground meat if using, and brown with the sausage.
  4. While meat is browning, dice veggies. Add to pot once your meat is cooked.
  5. Sautee veggies and meat until veggies are cooked and just tender.
  6. Add beans, rice, broth and spices.
  7. Stir to combine, and heat to serving temp.
  8. Enjoy!
Notes
THM Notes: To keep this in E territory, serve your bowl without sausage, and only use the lean ground meat as your protein. I like using both meats when I cook the dish, because the sausage adds so much flavor. If you enjoy this dish with the sausage, it's a healthy crossover.
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Filed Under: Crossover Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, THM E Main Dish Recipes, THM E Recipes, THM Main Dish Recipes, THM Recipes by Meal, THM Recipes by Type Tagged With: coconut free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, nut free

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  1. Natasha Lytle says

    September 17, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    Amazing! Absolutely amazing you have out done yourself on this recipe. My whole family LOVED it. Even my picky husband devoured his plate. I am a southern girl so if you come up with any rouges that can be made with out flour I would love to try it. One of my favorite meals is Round Steak gravy, so 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp veg. oil. I love it but realize its way off plan.

    I used two skinless chicken breast and three Louisiana hot sausages. next time I think I will do 2 chicken skinless beast, 2 Louisiana hot sausages, and shrimp.

    I can’t wait to eat the leftovers to night before Bible Study! Yumm!

    Reply
  2. Donna says

    September 24, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    What kind of sausage? Around here we buy breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, kielbasa, a few other Italian types. I don’t even know of any beef sausage. I can’t imagine any of those I listed in a Cajun dish.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      September 24, 2015 at 5:44 PM

      I’ve used a beef kielbasa, or just grilling beef sausage links. You add all of the good Cajun flavors, and I think it melds in nicely. 🙂 You can really use any type of sausage that sounds good to you.

      Reply
  3. Elise says

    September 24, 2015 at 11:55 PM

    Yummy!!! I might just try this with cauli-rice so I can make it an S with that sausage… thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      September 25, 2015 at 9:54 AM

      Brilliant! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kathy Graf says

    January 6, 2016 at 10:07 AM

    Will it stay in “e” territory if you use turkey kielbasa?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      January 7, 2016 at 1:38 AM

      Probably not, since kielbasa is usually pretty fatty even if made with Turkey. For turkey products to work in E mode, you really need to be 97% or more fat free. (like ground turkey breast)

      Reply
  5. Mayalee says

    November 3, 2017 at 9:39 AM

    Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing a such kind of recipe with us.

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    July 4, 2019 at 3:41 PM

    This sounds so yummy! If you dont keep ground chicken on hand, you can easily make it yourself – just cut regular chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor. Not too much, or it will turn to paste, just to grind up into small bits.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 14, 2021 at 11:30 AM

      Great tip! Thanks, Sarah!

      Reply
  7. Georgia Baylor says

    June 10, 2020 at 11:16 PM

    This was SO amazing!! I used a ground chicken sausage that is sweetened with stevia that I get from Fran’s Fryers (which provides meat for our meat co-op). I am SO in love. I pray there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I will most definitely be making this again!!! Sooooooo goooooood!!!! Swoon/in LOVE!!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 1, 2020 at 5:45 PM

      Thank you, Georgia! Love your name! This is always a favorite here too. 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Our New Orleans Style Dirty Rice Recipe | lovelyseasonscomeandgo says:
    November 28, 2015 at 6:49 AM

    […] Quick Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe […]

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  2. Dairy Free Recipe Roundup (over 60 recipes!) - Briana Thomas says:
    February 1, 2016 at 4:14 PM

    […] Quick Cajun Dirty Rice // Gwen’s Nest […]

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