Dirty Rice Recipe

Serving up a bowl of Cajun dirty rice for a delicious side dish.

This classic soul food recipe has been around for centuries, proving it has passed the test of time. An incredibly tasty rice meal made from scratch with aromatics, Creole spices, ground beef, chicken livers, and bacon.

Course Main

Cuisine Southern

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 787kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound (450g) andouille sausage or kielbasa, chopped (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 teaspoons (15-20g) minced garlic
2 teaspoons (1-2g) fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pound (450g) chicken livers, chopped (optional, see notes)
1 pound (450g) ground beef
½ pound (250g) ground pork sausage (optional)
1 tablespoon (15g) Creole seasoning (or more to taste)
1 small bell pepper, diced (red and green are fine)
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ teaspoon (1g) freshly ground black pepper (or more if desired)
salt to taste (see notes)
1½-2 cups (355-475ml) beef stock (start with 1½ cups and add more if needed)
6 cups (720g) cooked rice
3-4 green onions, chopped (or scallions)
2-3 tablespoons (7-10g) chopped parsley
pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste

Instructions

In a large, heavy sauté pan, fry chopped bacon (and optional sausage) until cooked, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the bacon grease if needed.
Toss in the onions, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the optional chicken liver, ground beef, pork sausage (if using), and Creole seasoning. Cook while stirring for about 2 minutes.
Add bell peppers, celery, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking while stirring for five more minutes. Then pour in about 1½ cups of stock.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Finally, add rice and green onions, and mix thoroughly. Cook until the rice is heated through, 5-7 minutes. Add more stock if needed to keep it from burning, being careful not to overcook the rice.
Remove from the heat and take out the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and serve with hot sauce or red pepper flakes.

Notes

Feel free to replace the liver with andouille sausage if you prefer.
I never make this recipe the same way twice in a row. Bacon, andouille sausage or kielbasa, ground pork sausage, hamburger, liver, etc., are mix-and-match options that depend on what was on sale that week.
This recipe is meat-heavy, so reduce the amounts by half for more of a rice side dish.
How much salt will depend on whether or not you use sausage and how salty the rice is. If using only liver and ground beef, start with a teaspoon and add more as needed toward the end of cooking. If using bacon and cured sausage, it may be better to wait until it's closer to finished and do a taste test before adding more.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition