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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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.
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. Youcan just grab a handful when youneed 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.
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.
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!
4.0 from 3 reviews
Quick Cajun Dirty Rice
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
- Cut sausage into rounds.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, brown sausage rounds, stirring and flipping.
- As they cook down, add ground meat if using, and brown with the sausage.
- While meat is browning, dice veggies. Add to pot once your meat is cooked.
- Sautee veggies and meat until veggies are cooked and just tender.
- Add beans, rice, broth and spices.
- Stir to combine, and heat to serving temp.
- 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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