What to Make With Sausage and Rice: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Sausage and rice is a seasoned pot without a grocery list. The sausage does the work of a spice jar. Use it that way: brown it, then let the rice cook in that fat and those browned bits. One card is a pilaf, one is fried rice from cold rice, and one is a quick soup. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with sausage and rice in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 18-minute dinner
18 min
Sausage fried rice
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Cold rice fries with sliced cooked sausage and garlic. Fast, and better with day-old rice.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sausage
- 3 cups cold cooked rice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 egg
Steps
- Brown sausage coins in a skillet. Set them aside if they are raw to start. Leave them in if you only need to warm them.
- Add the cold rice and press it until it crackles.
- Stir in the garlic and the egg. Toss until the egg sets in threads.
- Return the sausage if it was out. Taste before salting. The sausage may be enough.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
30 min
Sausage rice pilaf
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Sausage browns, raw rice toasts in the fat, then both finish under a lid.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 1 cup rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Steps
- Brown sausage pieces in a pot. Scoop them out. Leave a slick of fat.
- Soften the onion. Stir in the rice and paprika until the rice smells toasted.
- Add the water and the sausage. Cover and cook 16 minutes.
- Rest 5 minutes. Fluff. The rice should be tender and separate, stained a little from the sausage.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
The other dinner
22 min
Sausage and rice soup
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
A few sausage coins and a handful of rice in a salted pot.
Ingredients
- 6 oz sausage
- 1/2 cup rice
- 5 cups water
- 1 onion
Steps
- Brown the sausage with the onion. Pour off extra fat.
- Add the water and rice.
- Simmer until the rice is tender and the broth looks a little cloudy.
- Taste. Add salt only if the sausage didn't carry it.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. The rice swells.
Make it with leftovers
Cold rice is for the fried rice. Raw rice is for the pilaf. Cooked sausage can be sliced into both the fried rice and the soup. Don't recook it until it is dry little coins. Warm it in the rice.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Salt
- Oil
- Garlic
- Onion
- Paprika
No rice: the browned sausage is the start of sausage and peppers. No sausage: the chicken and rice pilaf is the calmer pot.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
A mild sausage and plain rice from the pilaf is the easy plate. Paprika can stay out. The fried rice is the mixed one. Offer it second if mixing foods is the fight.
Pour off half the fat after the sausage browns and cook the rice in what's left plus water. You keep the flavor. Chicken sausage lowers the grease if that is the package in the fridge.
Have something else in the fridge?
Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Snap your fridgeRelated dinners
Questions
What can I make with sausage and rice in 20 minutes?
Sausage fried rice takes 18 minutes, start to plate. Cold rice fries with sliced cooked sausage and garlic. Fast, and better with day-old rice.
What's the easiest dinner with sausage and rice?
Sausage fried rice is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 18 minutes. Cold rice fries with sliced cooked sausage and garlic. Fast, and better with day-old rice.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked sausage?
Cold rice is for the fried rice. Raw rice is for the pilaf. Cooked sausage can be sliced into both the fried rice and the soup. Don't recook it until it is dry little coins. Warm it in the rice.
What else can I add to sausage and rice for a full meal?
The cards already use sausage, cold cooked rice, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is sausage and rice a healthy dinner?
Pour off half the fat after the sausage browns and cook the rice in what's left plus water. You keep the flavor. Chicken sausage lowers the grease if that is the package in the fridge.
How do I make sausage and rice kid-friendly?
A mild sausage and plain rice from the pilaf is the easy plate. Paprika can stay out. The fried rice is the mixed one. Offer it second if mixing foods is the fight.
Can I make sausage and rice in one pan or a sheet pan?
Sausage rice pilaf uses one pot and takes 30 minutes. Sausage browns, raw rice toasts in the fat, then both finish under a lid.
What if I don't have rice?
No rice: the browned sausage is the start of sausage and peppers. No sausage: the chicken and rice pilaf is the calmer pot.