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This easy one-dish meal comes together quickly for the perfect weeknight dinner. Cajun sausage and rice skillet is filling, wholesome, and wonderfully flavorful!
I love a good Cajun-inspired recipe, and my entire family does too! It’s no wonder I make Cajun chicken pasta and Cajun skillet chicken bites so often.
This Cajun sausage and rice skillet is becoming our new favorite, though. My family loves it because it’s delicious, and I love how easy it is to make!
You only need one skillet and your stove for this recipe — no turning on the oven or dirtying a lot of dishes! It’s a one-pot meal that satisfies every time.
A good rice dish is worth its weight in gold. It’s affordable, filling, and can be made so quickly.
It’s good to have a few of them up your sleeve for busy nights when you need something simple and fast! Dutch oven jambalaya and venison fried rice are also great ones.
It doesn’t take a lot to whip up this flavorful and filling meal — it’s my ideal version of fast food!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-dish meal: Everything you need for a tasty, filling, well-rounded meal in one cast iron skillet — it doesn’t get easier than that!
- Flavorful: Rice dishes can sometimes be bland, but not the way we are making it! This recipe uses aromatics, broth, and plenty of seasonings for maximum flavor.
- Customizable: There are so many ways to tweak this recipe to use what you have. You can swap the veggies, meat, or seasonings; check out my recommended variations for a few ideas.
- Quick recipe: The prep work for this recipe is very minimal, and it’s done cooking in around 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- Pork sausage: I used unseasoned ground pork sausage. If you want to use something seasoned, like breakfast sausage or Italian sausage, check the ‘notes + tips’ section first.
- Seasoning: As with any good Cajun-inspired recipe (like my blackened chicken thighs), this recipe uses a generous amount of spices for a delicious, bold flavor.
- White rice: You can use long grain white rice or Jasmine rice. Don’t substitute brown rice or instant rice!
- Chicken broth: This gives the rice a rich, savory flavor. You can also use beef or vegetable broth, or homemade pork bone broth.
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the full list of ingredients with measurements!
Variations
- Andouille or kielbasa: Slice 14 ounces into ¼-inch rounds and brown it in place of the ground sausage.
- Tomato version: Add a 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, or 15 ounces of fire roasted diced tomatoes, with the broth. Cut the broth to 1 ½ cups.
- Add shrimp: Once the rice is tender, stir in 1 pound of raw, peeled shrimp, cover, and cook 3 to 4 minutes until pink.
How to Make Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
Step 1. Heat a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains.
Step 2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until it just starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 3. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Step 4. Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast for 1 minute.
Step 5. Pour in the broth and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a low boil and give it one more stir before covering. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Step 6. Top with the green onions and serve hot.
Tips + Notes
- Do not lift the lid during the 18 minutes.
- This recipe is for unseasoned ground pork sausage. If you use breakfast sausage or mild or hot Italian sausage, I suggest not using any of the seasonings in this recipe. Then, simply taste test once it’s done and add salt or pepper if needed.
- Let it rest the full 10 minutes off the heat to finish the rice.
- I found that the rice needs about an additional 2 tablespoons of broth to fully cook through, which is why the ingredients call for 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons.
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stove with a splash of broth.
If you add the cayenne pepper or use a hot pre-seasoned sausage, it can be a little spicy. To avoid any heat, omit the cayenne and use an unseasoned or mild pork sausage.
Yes, this sausage and rice skillet freezes very well for up to 3 months! When you’re ready to eat it, thaw in the fridge and reheat it on the stove with a splash of broth.
Yes, if you want to use something other than pork, ground chicken or beef would be great alternatives.
Related Recipes
- Dutch Oven Cajun Roast Chicken
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- One-Pot Ground Beef and Cabbage Dinner
- Perfect Dutch Oven Stuffed Bell Peppers
- One Pan Mexican Chicken Skillet
If you tried this Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage*
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper de-seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth plus 2 tbsp**
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until it just starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a low boil and give it one more stir before covering. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Top with the green onions and serve hot.
Notes
- Do not lift the lid during the 18 minutes.
- *This recipe is for unseasoned ground pork sausage. If you use breakfast sausage or mild or hot Italian sausage, I suggest not using any of the seasonings in this recipe. Then, simply taste test once it’s done and add salt or pepper if needed.
- Let it rest the full 10 minutes off the heat to finish the rice.
- **I found that the rice needs about an additional 2 tablespoons of broth to fully cook through, which is why the ingredients call for 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons.
- Jasmine rice will also work. Don’t substitute brown rice or instant rice.
I am looking forward to making this!