One-Pot Smoked Sausage And Rice
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Easy one-pot smoked sausage and rice is a quick and easy meal that’s great for any weeknight. Full of savory smoked sausage, tender diced pepper in a flavorful tomato rice, this quick and easy meal will satisfy the whole family including picky eaters!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Smoked Sausage And Rice
- Easy And Quick Meal – I love one pot meals for getting dinner on the table fast. This rice skillet is perfect for busy weeknights and only one pan to clean is the best part!
- Budget-Friendly Simple Ingredients – When my budget is stretched a little thinner, this dish is a great recipe to serve without breaking the bank. The simple ingredients in this easy sausage and rice recipe are items I often already have in the refrigerator.
- Similar to Jambalaya – I am not Cajun, don’t have roots in New Orleans, and this recipe is not authentic. However it is a filling and inexpensive meal that my whole family loves and yours will too. Check out this jambalaya recipe if you are looking for a more authentic version. This version satisfies my picky eater and can be a great jumping off point for trying more complex flavors.
Ingredients For Smoked Sausage And Rice
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- smoked sausage – like polish kielbasa – sliced into rounds. You can use smoked Italian sausage, polish sausage, a spicy sausage like andouille sausage, or any beef or pork smoked sausage. Chicken and turkey smoked sausage is also delicious. Any size 12-14 ounces will work whether it’s Hillshiere Farms, Aidelle or whatever your favorite brand is.
- onion diced, about 1/2 medium onion for 1/2 cup
- red bell pepper diced
- olive oil
- paprika smoked paprika will give more flavor if you have it. I useeither a smoked paprika or a sweet paprika, a hot paprika can make it much spicier.
- oregano
- garlic powder
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup white rice long grain. This is regular long grain white rice, you can not use instant rice or Minute rice in this recipe as the liquid will be off and the rice will be too wet.
- tomato paste
How To Make Smoked Sausage And Rice
- Slice the kielbasa into small rounds that are about ¼ inch thick. Dice the onion and bell pepper into small pieces between ¼ and ½ inch. In a small bowl mix together the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then set to the side.
- In a large sautee pan or 12 inch skillet with a lid, add a tablespoons of olive oil and turn a burner on to medium high heat. Add the sliced kielbasa to the pan. Cook the sausage for 5-6 minutes until browned on each side, stirring occasionally. Add onions and sauté until the onion begins to brown and soften, another 3-4 minutes.
- To the pan add the chicken broth, rice, tomato paste, bell pepper, and the spices mixed together, the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well until fully mixed. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to medium low to keep the liquid simmering. Cook covered for 20-23 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone. A little liquid still in the pan is ok as long as the rice is tender but it shouldn’t be runny. Top with a light sprinkle of fresh parsley or chopped green onions, then enjoy!
Variation Ideas
This dish is similar to jambalaya. While I don’t have cajun or creole roots, I can take some of the same ideas used in jambalaya and add it to the pot for a delicious dinner and you can too. This dish is flexible, you can add extra items you may already have in the refrigerator.
- Add Some Heat – I have kept this recipe fairly mild because it tends to be what my child will eat. However if you like a little heat you can kick this up a few notches. Try adding 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce or 1/2 teaspoon of a cajun seasoning blend before you cook the rice for a little extra kick. Feel free to adjust any of these spices to your own taste preferences.
- Spice It Up At The Table – Hot sauce or red pepper flakes can be used to give this dish more kick at the table without having to make the entire one – pot meal spicy.
- Mix Up The Vegetables – This is a really easy recipe to use up some of the leftover vegetables in the fridge as long as you dice them small. A large carrot, a zucchini, a stalk or two of celery, or even mushrooms can all be easily thrown into this one pot dish easily.
- Add More Proteins – Both chicken and shrimp go well in this dish. You can add precooked pieces of most proteins you may have on hand, it’s a great way to use up a little leftover chicken or even steak. If the protein you have is not cooked, you can sautee it with a little extra oil until cooked after the onions but before adding the sausage.
- Try Beans- A 16 ounce can of drained red beans like kidney beans or black beans can also be added to round out this dish or make it stretch a little further.
Is Smoked Sausage Already Cooked?
Yes, smoked sausage has been cooked during the smoking process. It is still important to brown this sausage though because it adds a lot of flavor to the dish and the texture of the sausage will be more delicious.
You can also use the mini little smoke sausages like is used in this BBQ little smokies appetizer or pigs in a blanket.
Can I Use Raw Sausage In This Recipe?
You can use raw sausages like Italian sausages or brats in this dish if that’s what you have but you must cook the sausage all the way through before adding the rice, broth and other ingredients.
If using raw sausages bake or boil the sausages before slicing them, or you can even cook sausages in the instant pot pretty fast (even from frozen!) Raw sausages when sliced will fall apart into ground meat, which won’t give you the the big juicy pieces of meat in this dish.
Using a raw sausage will change the overall flavor of the dish. The smoking process adds a lot of smoky flavor to the finished recipe.
Can I Use Smoked Turkey Sausage or Smoke Chicken Sausage?
Yes, you can find many really delicious smoked turkey sausage and chicken sausage options in the grocery store. I have found almost all go well with this dish.
Why Is My Sausage And Rice Mushy?
Once the lid has covered the pot, you don’t want to stir it a lot. This allows the rice to steam and soak up all of that delicious broth.
Overcooking the rice can also sometimes cause it to be mushy. You want a little bit of liquid still left in the pan once finished cooking so the rice steams well.
Adding extra ingredients with a lot of water in them straight to the dish can lead to a mush rice. Dicing and cooking vegetables with the onions can help remove that water so the rice doesn’t end up mushy.
What To Serve With Smoked Sausage And Rice
Smoked Sausage and rice can be a complete meal on it’s own, however an extra side on the table can help stretch your meal even further. Here are a few ideas to add to your meal.
Apple Cranberry Salad or any side salad
Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread (with store-bought biscuit dough)
Steamed Green Beans
Sauteed Broccoli
How Long Will Smoked Sausage And Rice Last?
Expect this dish will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator if stored in a covered airtight container.
Leftovers of this recipe reheat easily the next day in the microwave and are great for meal prep. I will sometimes sprinkle a little water or broth lightly onto the rice if it is close to the end to help keep the rice from drying out further in the microwave.
More Sausage Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Easy Sausage Breakfast Pizza
Pigs In A Blanket (Air Fryer Or Oven!)
One Pot Smoked Sausage And Rice
Ingredients
- 14 ounces smoked sausage like kielbasa – sliced into rounds
- 1/2 cup onion diced, about 1/2 medium onion for 1/2 cup
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika smoked paprika will give more flavor if you have it
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup white rice long grain
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Slice the kielbasa into small rounds that are about ¼ inch thick. Dice the onion and bell pepper into small pieces between ¼ and ½ inch. In a small bowl mix together the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then set to the side.
- In a large sautee pan or 12 inch skillet with a lid, add a tablespoons of olive oil and turn a burner on to medium high heat. Add the sliced kielbasa to the pan. Cook the sausage for 5-6 minutes until browned on each side, stirring occasionally. Add onions and sauté until the onion begins to brown and soften, another 3-4 minutes.
- To the pan add the chicken broth, rice, tomato paste, bell pepper, and the spices mixed together, the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well until fully mixed. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to medium low to keep the liquid simmering. Cook covered for 20-23 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone. A little liquid still in the pan is ok as long as the rice is tender but it shouldn’t be runny. Top with a light sprinkle of fresh parsley or chopped green onions, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used hot smoked sausage and added a little bit of cayenne. It tasted like jambalaya! It’s definitely going on repeat, as one of my favorites!
Awesome flavor and so easy. Love it and make it frequently
Could you add some fresh spinach to this?
Yes you can, but I would probably wilt the spinach before adding it so it doesn’t make the rice too gummy The liquid in the spinach may make the rice too gummy if you just add it straight to the pot. Let me know how it goes, it’s a pretty flexible recipe.
It was really good! I added some spinach for some color and texture and stuffed the mixture with bell peppers. Then I topped it with some mozzarella. I agree I should have wilted the spinach first, the rice was a little soggy, but still delicious! Wonderful and should reheat nicely for lunch!
This was delicious. I am a picky eater, even as an adult, so I chopped up the onion and bell pepper very small and it still turned out great and tasted delicious. I used smoked turkey sausage and it’s awesome to have a recipe in the rotation that uses a different type of protein. Thanks so much!
Recipe is awesome! I seen that you said not to use instant rice, but I figured I’d double the rice (two cups instead if one) to absorb more of the juices. Do you think that work? Thanks!
So glad you like the recipe Sarah! There are a few reasons not to use instant rice in this recipe. Doubling the instant rice may get you close, but it may still need more adjustments to get it right as the tomato paste also has moisture that effects the recipe. Also instant rice tends to get really mushy in a recipe like this. The cook time would also be likely a lot shorter. Instant rice has been cooked and then dehydrated so it cooks faster, but that means it reacts to being included with other ingredients a little differently then regular rice. It would take a few rounds of testing to get a result was close to using regular long grain rice, and even then it may end up on the mushy side. Hope that helps.
Thanks for responding! I actually tried it and it worked out perfect!! For me alot better than it did with the long grain but i dont normally cook with long grain so thats probably why it didnt turn out very well for me! I did 2 cups of instant white rice to go with the 2 cups of chicken broth. And I didn’t have tomato paste on hand so I used about 3.5T of tomato sauce. Didn’t change any of the the seasoning measurements except maybe 3T of olive oil instead of 2T. I mixed all the ingredients except the rice and brought it to a boil. Then added the 2 Cups of instant white rice and mixed it up good, bring to a boil, put the lid on, and turn it to simmer-low for 10 minutes. Then of course mix again lol but it worked soooo good! It wasn’t sticky or mushy at all. Maybe it was luck i dont know hahaha but it worked! Woot woot! The flavors are just so delicious we LOVE it! 😋😍
I’m so glad this variation worked for you on the first round and that the flavors were delish! Thank you for sharing so others can use this variation too! 🙂 Yay, I love when things work out easily, way to go!
I never leave reviews but I have made this recipe 5+ times in the past couple months. My pregnancy came with major food aversions and this is a safe food for me now. I used brats instead of kielbasa. And I didn’t want onions so I’ve been using leftover smoked veggies from my freezer. Homemade bone broth makes it so flavourful.
I am so glad yo are enjoying this recipe Lyndsay! Those pregnancy food aversions can be so hard, I’m so glad this works for you!
Made it and it was really delicious
Family loved it
Can you make this in a crock pot? Nap time is the only time I have both hands to put meals together, haha.
I wouldn’t make this recipe in the crock pot, the rice will get mushy. I’ve found the only recipes with rice that work well in the crockpot are creamy dishes, the kind where you add a can of condensed soup. These dishes you expect to be a little mushy. I do have a lot of other slow cooker recipes you should check out though : https://onmykidsplate.com/category/slow-cooker/
I want make this do I need rince the rice or not I know some recipes call to rince & some don’t
You don’t have to rinse the rice to make this dish, but you can if you prefer to rinse. The recipe will work either way.
Rinsing the rise can remove some of the starchy outside of the rice and can cause the grains to separate a little more, not rinsing it can cause the grains to stick together a little more. For some dishes it can make a big difference, but for this recipe either method works. 🙂 Hope that helps.
Very sim0le I cut everything up before I started did not take long to make
Can you use brown rice? I’m out of white rice.
You could use a long grain brown rice in this recipe but I haven’t tested it to be able to work through everything to give you more exact instructions.
Typically brown rice will need to cook for about 40-50 minutes. Depending on your rice, you may find you may need a little more chicken broth. The water ratio is about right, but with the extra items added to the rice it may end up needing 1/2 cup more liquid. I’d check the rice halfway through the cooking time by cracking the lid just a little so I don’t let all the steam out, and if it looks like all the liquid is absorbed I’d add a little more broth. Hope that helps.
Loved the simplicity and flavors of this meal. The only thing is the rice had a little too much heat for my toddler. Not sure how I would alter, but at least he ate the sausage. Will definitely make again regardless.
Was your paprika a spicy paprika instead of a sweet paprika? That is the only ingredient that may have any heat in it besides if the sausage you chose has heat in it. If your paprika is a sweet paprika, then it’s just kids being kids because nothing else has any heat at all. Hope that helps.
I tried this recipe with the smoked sausage I added yellow rice and cooked the same way family loved it
It was delish and my picky kiddo liked it too! I did have to add an additional cup of broth because it was getting dry. I might try to add some corn next time too for something extra!