When it comes to the ratio of time spent cooking to the amount of food produced, this Sausage and Rice Casserole is light years ahead of the competition. The key is smoked sausage! It imparts a wealth of flavor that the rice readily absorbs. I’ve used kransky, but you may use kielbasa, chorizo, or any kind you choose.
Quick to prepare and tastes like jambalaya without the spicy seasoning.
The original idea behind this rice casserole recipe was to make something easy and fast, similar to the “dump and bake” Fried Rice that I published a few of weeks ago. Using smoked sausages is what really sets this dish apart. Smoked sausages, such as kransky and kielbasa (Polish sausages), are an inexpensive and underappreciated product that is widely available. The abundant spice and smokiness of these sausages give them a ton of flavor.
As they cook to a gorgeous golden hue, they release a plethora of flavorful substances into the pan, which serves as the main ingredient in this rice dish.
The brilliance of this dish lies in the fact that the sausages you choose will determine the precise taste that you get in the rice. Every one is unique; some are a little smokier and have a little different blend of spices.
Dishes with a variety of flavors!
As long as your chosen veggies can withstand 20 minutes of cooking time on the stove, feel free to switch them around in this recipe.
A Quick and Easy Recipe for Smoked Sausage and Rice
Any kind of smoked sausage would do, although I like kransky sausages. Andouille, kielbasa, and smoked chorizo are some more smoked sausages that you may be familiar with. Because of their high seasoning content, they provide a wealth of flavor to the oil, which in turn enhances the flavor of the whole meal.
Could you tell me what smoked sausages are? Sausages that have been exposed to smoke from burning wood give them a wonderful smoky flavor; they are called smoked sausages. Polish kielbasa, andouille, and the sausages used in American barbecue are examples of these sausages in their cooked form. Even though they aren’t cooked, you may sometimes get salami-like sausages that are cured, dried, and cold-smoked.
As seen in the picture of kransky sausages below, smoked sausages, in contrast to completely raw sausages, may be cleanly cut.
In this recipe, the cooked or uncooked state of the smoked sausages is irrelevant since they are cooked thoroughly.
You may use cooked sausages in this dish, or even raw sausages, as they provide just as much flavor. The uncooked, mushy flesh makes it impossible to slice, so instead, chop them into bite-sized pieces. The result is mouth-watering—they resemble little meatballs!
Kransky sausages, cut into slices, are the meat of choice for the Sausage and Rice dish.
Rice—Long grain rice is ideal for this one-pot cooking technique as it is the least sticky and produces the best finished texture. Other varieties of rice that are effective:
Basmati rice has the same light, fluffy texture as white rice, but it smells delicious!
Use medium or short grain white rice; it will work just fine, but the texture will be more sticky than the video shows since that’s just how these rices are. A little more clumping is to be expected.
The water-to-rice ratio is lower for jasmine rice, so you’ll just need 1/4 cup less water than for other types of rice.
Brown, paella, risotto, wild, quinoa, and other specialty rices will not turn out properly when following this recipe. Time to cook and amount of liquid to rice are things I would have to work out.
Key aromatics for the flavor foundation—garlic and onion.
One of the spices used to flavor the rice is smoked paprika. Because the smoked sausages provide so much flavor, we don’t need much more seasoning to this meal.
To avoid an overly salty meal, use low-sodium chicken broth or stock. Another option is to use vegetable stock.
For this dish, I used one red and one yellow capsicum, which are often known as bell peppers. What beautiful hues!
You may also use carrots, maize, celery, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower, but the last two will end up a little mushy.
Smoked Sausage with Rice: A Quick and Easy Recipe
Sausage should be cooked until it is well browned and aromatic before adding to the oil to flavor the whole meal. You won’t believe the depth of flavor that smoked sausages provide.
Take the sausages out of the pan and put them aside after they’ve browned. Later on, we will re-insert them.
Cook the onion and garlic until they become soft. The base ingredients for almost every savory recipe here are these essential aromatics!
Put the capsicum in after the garlic and onion have begun to cook. I put it in at the end as it cooks a little bit quicker.
Season with salt and pepper and stir in the uncooked rice and stock when the veggies have softened. Return the sausages to the pot when they have cooked.
If you’re worried about the cleanliness of the rice, you don’t need to rinse it beforehand. I personally never rinse the rice that I buy in packets from the grocery store. Because around 2 tablespoons of water will stick to the rice when you rinse it, making the cooked rice somewhat more mushy or wet than you wanted, you should cut the stock in the recipe by this amount if you rinse.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. When the surface begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low (or medium low if your stove isn’t very strong) and continue bubbling gently.
Put the cover on and let it boil for 20 minutes to cook.
Before re-covering the pot, stir in the frozen peas and spread them out over the rice. In order to keep the heat in, you need to move swiftly here. Peas will be cooked by the remaining heat in the rice.
For uniformly cooked rice, resting it for 10 minutes is a must-do step in every rice recipe.
Get ready to serve! Before serving, fluff the rice with a fork and, if desired (but not required), mix in the parsley.
One-Pot Smoked Sausage and Rice, Close-Up
As a result of soaking up the sausage cooking liquid, the rice is tender and flavorful. In fact, it’s rather similar in flavor to Paella or Jambalaya with a more straightforward presentation. The meal has a consistent level of flavor despite the minimal variety of ingredients used. If that is really clear?!?!
Easy as pie!
With 2 onions, 2 capsicums, and 2 cups of peas per dish, this recipe provides exactly the right amount of veggies to make it a balanced dinner. It feeds 4 to 5 people.
While you’re fluffing the rice, toss in a handful of baby spinach for an easy method to increase the vegetable content. In only a few seconds, the spinach will wilt due to the hot heat!
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