Take your taste buds on a trip to Louisiana with this savory and spicy Dirty Rice recipe. Packed with sausage, ground beef and Cajun seasonings, this dish is an easy and delicious meal option.
In Louisiana, you'll see dirty rice served at most festivals and fairs, usually offered with white beans on the side.
It can be quite varied, the types of meat used, to the seasonings and rice so all you need think is - it's a dish of seasoned rice 'dirtied-up' with meat.
Jump to:
- What makes this recipe so yummy
- Groceries you'll need: Ingredients
- Dirty Rice Recipe Instructions
- Recipe variations and substitute ideas
- Recipe Troubleshooting
- Necessary gear: Equipment
- What To Serve With Dirty Rice
- How to store leftovers
- Mel's kitchen notes
- Melanie Cagle
- Frequently asked questions: FAQs
- Savory Dirty Rice
- 💬 Comments
What makes this recipe so yummy
I may be British, but I'm married to a Cajun from down da bayou. I've done a lot of experimenting when developing the recipe for this site and I feel this dish has the best combination of great moisture paired with perfect seasoning.
NOTE: You'll notice me mention ground venison a lot. 9 times out of 10 I will use venison instead of ground beef, we prefer it and due to us being a hunting family we have a lot of it.
Groceries you'll need: Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
Dirty Rice Recipe Instructions
This is an overview of the recipe steps. For more detailed instructions visit the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 7: Remove the lid, stir once and top with chopped green onions.
Hint: You could rinse the rice first, but I like the extra starch it adds to the dish. You do you.
Recipe variations and substitute ideas
- Parsley - you could add some chopped parsley with the rice if you like.
- Chicken Livers - a lot of people use this, personally I believe that is more for a rice dressing.
- Bay Leaves - add them with the seasoning then remove at the end.
- Thyme - there is usually a lot of thyme in a Cajun seasoning though.
- Beef Broth - instead of chicken broth. Keep it low sodium though, to keep the salt down.
- Cayenne Pepper - to add some heat and spices.
- Paprika - another great southern seasoning.
- Creole Seasoning - instead of Cajun Seasoning.
Recipe Troubleshooting
- Rice is not cooked - if you find your rice is not cooked at the end replace the lid and continue cooking a few more minutes. You could also just replace the lid, turn off the heat - it will still continue to cook with the remaining heat.
- Soggy Rice - too much fluid was added and cooked too long. Be careful also not to stir too much after it's cooked.
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Necessary gear: Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I love to cook dishes like this, and my Jambalaya in a Dutch Oven. It cooks so evenly with no sticking.
I have an affiliate link in the recipe card below with more information.
What To Serve With Dirty Rice
If you like the meat and rice combo, you need to try my Stuffed Bell Peppers, they're made the Cajun way and they're awesome. These Cajun deviled eggs taste great too.
How to store leftovers
After the dirty rice has cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
It does freeze very well, so store in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Mel's kitchen notes
Don't be shy to use up some leftover meat you may have. Instead of using the ground beef you could chop up some leftover meats and add that instead.
About The Author
Melanie Cagle
Melanie is a professional cook, food photographer and Cajun food connoisseur. Since 2020 she has been sharing rigorously tested recipes and tutorials right here on this blog.
Her work has been featured on Fox News channels, Yahoo news, Southern Living and more.
Frequently asked questions: FAQs
Dirty rice is usually ground meat (beef or venison) with rice and seasonings. Jambalaya will typically have chicken, shrimp, smoked sausage. It does have a similar cooking process so it's easy to confuse the two.
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Savory Dirty Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Pork Sausage like breakfast sausage
- 1 Pound Ground Beef or venison (like I make)
- 3 Slices Bacon chopped
- 2 Each Yellow Onions diced
- 2 Ribs Celery diced
- 1 Each Green Bell Pepper deseeded and diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1-½ Cups Long Grain Rice uncooked long grain
- ¼ Cup Green Onions chopped
Instructions
- Add the ground meat and sausage to a large heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium-high heat. Cook until no pink remains then remove the meat to the side and discard of the fluid.1 Pound Ground Pork Sausage, 1 Pound Ground Beef
- Add the bacon to the same pot and cook until done, then remove but keep the grease.3 Slices Bacon
- Cook the onions, celery and bell pepper in the bacon grease until soft, then add the garlic and cook a further 2 minutes.2 Each Yellow Onions, 2 Ribs Celery, 1 Each Green Bell Pepper, 4 Cloves Garlic
- Add the chicken broth and seasonings, stir then cover and allow to slow boil over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth, 1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- Add the meat back to the pot along with the uncooked rice, stir and cover again. Simmer for 15 minutes.1-½ Cups Long Grain Rice
- Remove the lid, stir and sprinkle with green onions.¼ Cup Green Onions
Notes
Nutrition
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