Cajun Sausage and Rice
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet is a family favorite easy and delicious one skillet meal that is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner! This Cajun sausage recipe is perfect for busy weeknights that uses cajun smoked sausage, bell peppers, and rice.
I love a good one skillet meal. Between my One Skillet Broccoli Cheddar Rice Skillet and One Skillet Chicken Teriyaki & Rice, we have one almost every week! They are easy to make, easy to clean up, and if it's the right recipe - they are delicious!
This Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet is just that - a healthy, delicious, and easy weeknight dinner that the family will be sure to love! And since it is cooked in only one skillet, that means less cleanup - a winner for sure!
Looking for other skillet meals? Check out my Butternut Squash, Chicken Sausage, and Kale Quinoa Skillet, Grilled Cheddar Sausage and Pepper Skillet, and Italian Sausage Quinoa Skillet.
Ingredients
This one-pot wonder has pretty simple ingredients that combine to make one amazing dish.
Vegetables - white onion, red bell pepper, and orange bell pepper. You can use a yellow onion, and yellow or green bell peppers too, if you prefer.
Cajun Smoked Sausage - I used a smoked cajun sausage for this recipe. Cajun sausage adds a ton of great flavor to this rice skillet recipe. Other sausages would work too. For example, kielbasa sausage, spicy andouille sausage, regular smoked pork sausage, or chicken sausage would also work great in this dish.
Spices - garlic, smoked paprika, and dried oregano. These are classic Cajun spices that add so much flavor to this dish.
Tomato Sauce - The tomato sauce adds some flavor to the liquid portion that the rice is cooked in.
Chicken broth - this adds flavor to the rice and overall dish.
Rice - I typically use white jasmine rice or white basmati rice.
Toppings - The last thing is to top this cajun sausage and rice off with some fresh parsley. This adds a bit of freshness and different colors to the dish that I loved!
Please refer to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Use different sausage. While cajun sausage is delicious in this cajun rice recipe, there are many other sausage options. The kind of sausage you use will affect the flavors, but you always should use whatever you prefer. I have seen chicken Andouille sausage that would work well, along with pork Andouille sausage. Other ideas include smoked turkey sausage, kielbasa sausage, and beef sausage.
Spice it up. If you like spicy foods and want this dish extra spicy, add some cajun seasoning blend, creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, or jalapeños. I found it was plenty for my wimpy tastebuds spicy using cajun sausage! You could also spice it up with hot sauce.
Add some beans. Red beans are a classic ingredient in Cajun recipes. If you like beans, feel free to add a can of red beans to the skillet when you add the tomato sauce, rice, and broth!
Garlic Substitute - if you don't have garlic, you can use garlic powder instead. I would use ½ teaspoon.
Step by Step Instructions
As I mentioned, this cajun sausage recipe is an easy weeknight meal and the best part is that it is super delicious, too. It's spicy Cajun comfort food that you will look forward to at the end of the day!
Photo 1. Add olive oil over medium-high heat. A dutch oven would work well for this recipe, too. Add the onions, bell pepper, and cajun sausage.
Photo 2. Cook the sausage and vegetables until the vegetables are softened and the sausage is browned. Add the garlic and spices, cooking another minute.
Photo 3. Add the tomato sauce, rice, and vegetable broth and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon to gently to combine.
Photo 4. Simmer the mixture over medium heat, covered, for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the rice sticking on the bottom of the skillet, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is soft and ready to eat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. See? So easy!
Expert Tips
Storage - store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Serving - I like to serve it with fresh parsley, however a sprinkle of cheddar cheese or sliced green onions would also be delicious.
Reheating - I recommend warming this up in the microwave to reheat leftovers.
Make it Mild - if you're not a fan of spice but love the cajun flavors, go with a mild sausage and omit the cayenne pepper.
Recipe FAQs
You could adapt this recipe to use brown rice. However, you will need to increase your cooking time quite a bit. While white rice typically cooks in 20 minutes, brown rice takes closer to 50 minutes, so adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Yes, but you will have to adjust the recipe a little bit. Cook the vegetables and sausage like the instructions say, and then add the cooked rice without the broth.
It all depends on the type of sausage that you buy and the amount of cayenne pepper that you add. Cajun and andouille sausages tends to be spicy, so I would recommend using smoked sausage or some sort of chicken sausage and skip the cayenne if you don't want it to be spicy.
Other Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper diced
- 12 ounces smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces could also use chicken sausage, or any kind of cooked sausage that you like!
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper depending on spice preference
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 ½ cups white rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- chopped fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, peppers and sausage, and cook until the peppers are softened and sausage is browned, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the garlic, spices, and salt and cook another minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, rice, and broth, and stir well to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover, cooking until the rice is soft and liquid has been absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Be sure to stir every once in awhile to make sure the rice isn't getting burned on the bottom.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! Has been one of my staples for about a year. I use mild Italian sausage instead of chorizo. Thank you!!
Very good recipe and kids enjoyed it too. Proportions were accurate. The rice got a little crispy on the bottom which added to the flavor. Next time will up the spices and/or add a jalapeño as we found it a little on the bland side. Great way to stretch a meal when you’re low on meat as it calls for more rice than other similar ones. Thanks!
This makes an enormous amount of food! I added three things to the recipe after tasting. 1) two cans fire-roasted tomatoes, 2) cayenne pepper, and 3) more salt. I used andouille sausage that wasn’t very spicy, so the cayenne added heat. The tomato sauce was good for flavor, but I felt like some tomato pieces would be good to add, and salt because one teaspoon of salt for this enormous amount of food wasn’t enough for our taste. Very good base recipe. Have fun with it.
If I wanted to use minute rice, how would i adjust this?