An easy one-pot meal with beef, rice and vegetables with cajun seasoning!
Dirty rice (aka Cajun rice aka rice dressing) is a Cajun/Creole rice dish containing the Holy Trinity, of onions, bell peppers, and celery, along with ground meat, chicken giblets and cajun seasoning (link). This is a simple, one-pot, version where the meat and veggies are cooked before adding the rice and liquid and simmering until the rice is cooked. (I skip the chicken giblets, and if you were to add them, cook them in the pan before grinding in a food processor and returning when the rice is added.) This dirty rice makes a great side or even a main!
Cajun Dirty Rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 6
An easy one-pot meal with beef, rice and vegetables with cajun seasoning!
ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground beef (or pork or sausage)
1 pound pork sausage, casings removed
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons cajun seasoning (link)
4 cups beef broth
2 cups long grained rice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
directions
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the beef, onion, bell pepper, celery and cook, breaking the beef apart as it cooks until the beef is cooked and the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cajun seasoning, mix and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the broth, rice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and bay leaves, mix, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is cooked, 20 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, mix in the green onions and parsley and enjoy!
Note: If you are using a low fat (extra lean) beef you can cook the onions, bell pepper and celery at the same time. Otherwise, cook the beef first, drain off the extra grease and set aside before cooking the veggies in oil.
Option: Use any colour of bell pepper. (I used 1/2 green and 1/2 red in the photos.)
Option: Add bacon! Cook before the beef, set aside, adding it back along with the rice.
Option: 2 tablespoons tomato paste, along with the garlic.
