Dirty Rice

This easy dirty rice is bursting with incredible flavor! For a tasty side dish or a one-pot meal, whip up this tasty dish for a busy weekngiht dinner.

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Table of Contents

Dirty Rice Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Dirty Rice Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Why We Love This Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Dirty rice is Southern comfort food at its best. Made from white rice, it gets a dirty color from being cooked with pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp combined with fresh vegetables and spices.

Dirty Rice Ingredients

Dirty Rice raw ingredients that are labeled

This recipe combines ground beef and pork sausage for a savory base, complemented by garlic, onion, green pepper, and celery for a flavorful crunch.

Seasoned with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning, the long-grain rice absorbs the beef broth and thyme, resulting in a comforting and zesty dish.

You’ll need:

½ pound of ground beef
½ pound of ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 cup of diced yellow onion
1 cup of diced green bell pepper (1 pepper)
1 cup of diced celery (about 2 ribs)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon of creole seasoning
1½ cups of long-grain rice
3 cups of beef broth
1-2 sprigs of thyme
Parsley for garnish

PRO TIP:

Be careful about adding too much salt. If you are using a seasoned ground sausage, regular-sodium beef broth, and a cajun/creole seasoning that includes salt, you probably will not need to add any salt.

Substitutions And Additions

SPICE: I love that for this dish, you can make this simple recipe spicier if that’s your thing.

Just add a little more seasoning and a few more onions if that’s how you like it.

MEAT: This dish has plenty of flexibility for the meat you use in this cajun rice recipe.

Ground meat such as ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or shrimp all make delicious alternatives.

Traditional dirty rice is made with chicken liver. You can use liver instead of or in addition to the other meats.

VEGETARIAN: A great way to make this dish vegetarian is to replace the meat with canned beans and switch the beef broth for an equal amount of vegetable broth.

How To Make This Dirty Rice Recipe

The great thing about this rice dish is that it all comes together in a single pan. Let’s get cooking!

STEP ONE: In a large skillet, sauté ground beef and ground pork sausage over medium-high heat.

Use a spatula to break apart the meat and cook until most of the meat is no longer pink, about four to five minutes.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Use a skillet that is at least two inches deep and has a lid.

ground pork and sausage cooked in a skillet

STEP TWO: Add garlic, onion, pepper, and celery to the skillet and sauté an additional four to five minutes until the vegetables are softened.

vegetable added to the skillet of cooked meat

STEP THREE: Add salt and pepper, being cautious that you do not oversalt the mixture, creole seasoning, rice, and beef broth.

Stir and add thyme sprigs to the top of the mixture.

PRO TIP:

I like to set the thyme sprig on the top of the mixture so it is easy to find it and remove it once the rice is cooked. You can also strip the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and simply stir them into the rice mixture. Leaves do not need to be removed after cooking.

ingredients added to the pot of meat mixture

STEP FOUR: Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and cover the skillet. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

PRO TIP:

Make sure to cook rice to al dente and don’t overcook it, which can lead to mushy rice.

STEP FIVE: Remove the thyme sprigs and fluff rice.

thyme springs removed from the skillet and rice fluffed

STEP SIX: Add chopped parsley for garnish and serve.

How To Serve

This classic Cajun dish would be a great side dish or a simple meal to whip up on a busy weeknight.

Add a Caesar salad or cucumber salad for a little bit of greenery on the side.

Serve up garlic bread, and you’ll have a hearty meal.

Love rice dishes? You’ll want to check out our fried rice recipe as well as our cauliflower fried rice, too.

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Storage

Whether you want to make it ahead of time, have some extra portions, or plan to enjoy it in the days to come, here’s a guide to ensure your dirty rice stays fresh.

MAKE AHEAD: Dirty rice can be a fantastic make-ahead dish.

After cooking, let it cool to room temperature, then transfer it into an airtight container.

Store it in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for longer storage. When you’re ready to enjoy it, follow the reheating instructions below.

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store dirty rice in the fridge, in an airtight container, for three to four days.

IN THE FREEZER: Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to one month.

close up shot of a skillet of Dirty Rice with a large wooden spoon

Why We Love This Recipe

FLAVORFUL AND HEARTY: This recipe boasts a robust flavor profile, thanks to the combination of ground beef and pork sausage, along with aromatic herbs and spices.

CUSTOMIZABLE: Whether you want to adjust the spice level, switch up the meats, or add extra veggies, it’s highly adaptable to your taste.

EASY TO FOLLOW: With step-by-step instructions and helpful tips, even novice cooks can confidently create this dish.

The incredible, rich flavor of this perfect recipe works for any occasion. No matter how you serve it, the delicious Cajun flavor will be a favorite with your whole family.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I freeze dirty rice?

This easy recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to one month.

Can I make this dish vegetarian?

This creole dish can be made vegetarian by replacing the meat with beans and extra veggies and replacing the beef broth with vegetable broth.

What is the difference between Creole and Cajun seasoning?

Cajun seasoning is a pepper-based spice mix that tends to be spicier than Creole seasoning, which is on the more savory side.

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Dirty Rice

5 from 8 votes

This easy dirty rice is bursting with incredible flavor! For a tasty side dish or a one-pot meal, whip up this tasty dish for a busy weekngiht dinner.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper (1 pepper)
1 cup diced celery (about 2 ribs)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1½ cups long-grain rice
3 cups beef broth
1 to 2 sprigs thyme
parsley, for garnish

Instructions

In a large skillet, sauté ground beef and ground pork sausage over medium-high heat. Use a spatula to break apart the meat and cook until most of the meat is no longer pink (about 4 to 5 minutes).
Add garlic, onion, pepper, and celery to the skillet and sauté an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
Add salt and pepper (be cautious you do not oversalt), creole seasoning, rice, and beef broth. Stir and add thyme sprigs to the top of the mixture.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and cover the skillet. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the thyme sprigs and fluff rice.
Add chopped parsley for garnish and serve.

Video

Notes

Be careful about adding too much salt. If you are using a seasoned ground sausage, regular-sodium beef broth, and a cajun/creole seasoning that includes salt, you probably will not need to add any salt.
Use a skillet that is at least 2 inches deep and has a lid.
Make sure to cook rice to al dente and don’t overcook it, which can lead to mushy rice.
I like to set the thyme sprig on the top of the mixture so it is easy to find it and remove it once the rice is cooked. You can also strip the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and simply stir them into the rice mixture. Leaves do not need to be removed after cooking.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This Dirty Rice Recipe

How To Serve

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Storage

Why We Love This Recipe

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