Dirty Rice Recipe- A Cajun Family Holiday Tradition (2024)

This cajun dirty rice recipe is not only a favorite family side dish at Thanksgiving, it’s perfect year-round!

Hi there, friends! I’m back today with my friends from No Place Like Home to share some Thanksgiving inspiration with you. We are sharing all things Thanksgiving, and I’d love for you to check out their links at the bottom of this post. They never fail to come up with some very impressive ideas for your home!

I am originally from New Orleans, and I love anything cajun and creole. One dish that I remember at every single family get-together at either Thanksgiving or Christmas is dirty rice. I can’t remember a family holiday meal without it, and even now that I haven’t lived in New Orleans for quite some time, dirty rice is still a part of my holiday meals. If you’ve never heard of dirty rice, it traditionally is rice mixed with chicken livers, sausage, and cajun seasonings. My family, however, does not use chicken livers and replaces it with ground beef. The rice has a little heat, so if you like things a tad on the spicy side, this is the side dish for you. It is the perfect compliment to your cajun fried turkey!

This is not too complicated of a recipe, and one of the best things about it is that you can make it a day ahead of time. It reheats perfectly in the microwave which frees up precious stove space on the big day. It’s also agreat dish to take along with you if you are not the one hosting your holiday meal.

Grab our FREE printable recipe binder!

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter to get behind the scenes content, along with our printable recipe binder, perfect for organizing all your delicious recipes.

Ingredients

3/4 lb. Jimmy Dean regular pork sausage
3/4 lb. extra lean ground beef, 93% or higher
1 cup finely diced yellow onion
3/4 cup finely diced bell pepper, I like to use half red and half green
1/4 cup finely diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, I use Tony Cachere's
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
5 cups of cooked parboiled rice
1/3 cup diced green onion

Instructions

Cook the ground beef and pork sausage in a large skillet on medium-high about 5 minutes until it is mostly browned.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the meat is completely browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, cajun seasoning, black pepper, and salt and saute for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes
Stir in the rice. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the stove and take out the bay leaves. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. There will be a small amount of liquid remaining, but it should be absorbed fairly quickly.
Top with diced green onion before serving.

Notes

The salt can vary depending on your chicken stock. It's always a good idea to start with half of the recommended salt and then add more if needed.
I use an extra lean ground beef (93% or higher) so that I don't have to drain the fat and a lot of the flavor. If you use a fattier ground beef, you will definitely want to drain the fat after you brown it.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 427Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 88mgSodium 1172mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 28g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag us on Instagram @ahometogrowoldin

Do you have any traditional foods that you eat at the holidays? Have you tried dirty rice before?

Don’t forget to check out the other blogs participating below!

* A Home To Grow Old In * Hey Fitzy * Nourish and Nestle *

* Savvy Apron * Sweet Parrish Place * The Aspiring Home * The Red Painted Cottage *