Description
A comforting and flavorful Cajun Dirty Rice featuring ground pork sausage, a rich roux, and aromatic spices, all combined with fluffy cooked white rice. This easy one-pot recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a hearty side dish, packed with classic Southern flavors and a hint of spice.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Roux
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 cup chicken stock, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the roux: Place the flour and unsalted butter into a small skillet over medium heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture turns a medium to dark brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the sausage and spices: Heat a Dutch oven or thick-bottomed large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground pork sausage, ground cumin, black pepper, and paprika. Sear the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles, allowing it to brown well and stick slightly to the pan to develop flavor.
- Deglaze the pan: Pour in 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, incorporating those flavors into the dish.
- Add garlic: Mix in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Incorporate the roux: Stir the prepared roux into the sausage mixture until fully combined.
- Simmer and reduce: Cook the mixture uncovered for 10 minutes, slowly adding the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken stock as needed to prevent drying out. Stir occasionally to blend flavors.
- Add the rice and warm through: Stir in the cooked white rice, combine everything thoroughly, and heat until warm throughout.
- Serve and garnish: Plate the dirty rice and optionally garnish with thinly sliced scallions for a fresh finishing touch.
Notes
- Leftover cooked rice works perfectly in this recipe, saving prep time.
- While ground pork sausage is recommended, you can substitute with ground beef or other types of sausage according to preference.
- Double the recipe to serve larger groups or for meal prep.
- This dish freezes well; store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Adjust the amount of paprika and black pepper to control the spice level to your taste.
