Cajun Dirty Rice

By msippigrl

This is a spicy Cajun rice side dish that goes well with chicken, pork, as well as other meats. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups cold leftover cooked long grain white rice*
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
• 6-8 ounces bulk breakfast sausage (I used 6 cold, cooked leftover Hormel Little Sizzlers, then ground them in food processor)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2-3 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning, to taste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/2 cup water, or more if needed for moistness

Preparation

Step 1

*If you don't have cold leftover rice, cook 2 cups uncooked rice in a pot full of boiling water (uncovered) until tender then drain and rinse well under tap water until rice feels cold then set aside to drain completely in a colander.

In a large, deep skillet on medium/medium-high heat, add ground beef and sausage and cook just until no longer pink, breaking it up into very small pieces as it cooks, then add the bell pepper and cook until meat is done and bell pepper is tender. Remove all excess grease.

Turn temperature down to medium/medium-low. Add the remaining ingredients as well as the rice; cook and stir until heated through and liquid is completely gone.

Pour into a serving dish and garnish top with green onions.