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Dirty rice is packed with Cajun flavor and the texture is to die for! It has the most amazing blend of delicious spices, meats, and rice that will definitely be something that your family will go crazy for!
Cook this in one pot and you will see just how quick and easy this recipe is! It’s definitely one of my go-to side dishes. If you love the Cajun flavor that this recipe brings then try this cod, shrimp, and lobster tails! They are all delicious and bursting with that amazing delicious taste!
Dirty Rice Recipe
Dirty rice (or sometimes known as “Cajun Rice”) gets its name from the color that it becomes after you mix all of its ingredients together! Now, I know that you have all had rice as a side to your meals. Whether that is white rice or brown rice or fried rice. But… If you really want to take it to the next level, dirty rice is about to be your new best friend! If you make it with this homemade Cajun seasoning, it will really set it apart!
You can make this recipe at home in under 30 minutes! You can cook it as a side to eat with some of this yummy baked chicken. Or better yet, eat it for your main meal at lunch! It is filling and super delicious! You could even make it ahead and prepare enough to have for lunch all week. Whatever you decide to eat it with, you will absolutely love it! Oh, and don’t forget that it can be cooked all in one pot so not only is it fast but it’s going to be super easy cleanup for you as well!
Ingredients in Easy Dirty Rice
The ingredients in this recipe are all simple and once you combine them all, will turn out amazing! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.
- Ground beef and pork: The protein helps make this dish super filling!
- Onion, green pepper and celery: Dice these all up to about the same size so that they cook evenly.
- Garlic: If you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves that you can mince, use the minced garlic from your fridge. 1/2 tsp equals about 1 clove of garlic.
- Cajun Seasoning: If you can, make this cajun seasoning ahead of time and you will never go back to store bought again!
- Rice: Long grained rice is what you will want to try and use for this recipe.
- Beef broth: This will bring in flavor while you cook the rice.
- Salt: Sprinkle this in to taste!
How to Cook Dirty Rice on the Stove
Quick and easy is the name of this game! Dirty rice cooks all in one pot so cooking is an absolute breeze. This rice tastes so delicious that you won’t be able to stop at one serving!
- Cook meat and add in veggies: In a large pot cook and crumble the ground beef and pork until no longer pink. Add in the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and cajun and cook until they start to soften.
- Add rice: Add in rice and beef broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff and serve.
Tips and Ideas for the Best Dirty Rice
If you want to take your dirty rice up a notch, I have come up with a few tips and tricks on how to change things up to make this work just for you!
- Healthy alternatives: For a slightly healthier option, you could use ground turkey instead of beef and pork. You can also substitute the white rice for some brown rice in stead! These are sublte changes that won’t change the flavor of the dish!
- Stuffed Peppers: This is an amazing rice to use with peppers! Cut the top off of a bell pepper (any flavor or color) and stuff this dirty rice in them. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees and you suddently have yourself another (totally different!) delicious meal with no extra work!
- Go heavy on the meat: The meat is the heartiest part of this dish so make sure that you don’t skimp on the meat!
How to Store or Freeze Leftover Rice
You can cook some of this ahead of time and store it in your fridge or freezer for an easy meal later! Follow these instructions to find out how you store this rice and how to reheat your leftovers!
- Refrigerator: Store your rice in an airtight container. It will last in your fridge for 5-6 days!
- Freezer: Once your rice has cooled, place it in a sealed ziplock bag or container and label it with the date. You can store it in your freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Make sure you have thawed your rice in the fridge overnight. Once it’s thawed you can reheat it in the microwave, stirring often until heated through. Or, you can heat it up on the stove until warm.
More Rice Recipes to Love
Rice is an excellent option for side dishes and main dishes. You can’t go wrong with it and it’s something that everyone (even kids!) love! So here are a few more of my favorite rice recipes. I’ve picked some out that are different enough that you should be able to find something that goes with whatever it is that you are cooking! They are all so delicious that its hard to choose which one is best!
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Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
- 3 1/2 cups beef broth
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot cook and crumble the ground beef and pork until no longer pink. Add in the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and cajun and cook until they start to soften.
- Add in rice and beef broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wonder if this could be made with no meat as a side dish. Anyone try it?
I’ve eaten dirty rice many times when I’ve been in Louisiana or East Texas and it always has diced chicken liver. That gives it the unique flavor it has.
Delicious and flavourful. I made this with your corn on the cob in the air fryer. My family enjoyed it very much.
Air fryer corn on the cob is my favorite! I’m glad you liked it!
Love it! I only had pickled red onion so subbed that in & it was delicious.
Yum! Great idea!
Who knew dinner could be so simple! I only used ground beef because I didn’t have any ground pork.
This is the absolutely perfect way to use up some left over rice, just reduce your beef broth. I used a cup and a half of broth since I was using use the rest of my left over Chinese take out rice.