Our Sausage and Rice Skillet Dinner is the ultimate one-pan meal! Onions and peppers combined with seasoned sausage and tender rice is total comfort food in a bowl, and best of all, a quick and easy skillet dinner for the busiest of evenings. If you like this you will love our easy Italian chicken skillet or our pork fried rice.
Sausage and rice skillet is made with basic ingredients that team up for a flavor-packed dish! It’s a dinner-in-a-pinch kind of meal that works for any time of day, in fact, any kind of gathering.
We use kielbasa sausage rounds for their smoky, garlic-y flavor. Onion, bell peppers and smoked paprika give this tomato-based dish a delicious, Italian-inspired spin– pure comfort food that warms you up.
Our sausage and rice skillet dinner is:
- Grain-free and gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Kid-friendly (adjust the spice level as needed)
- Great as leftovers
- Budget-friendly
Ingredients for this Skillet Dinner
To make this sausage and rice skillet dinner, you will need the following ingredients:
- Kielbasa sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces. Any pre-cooked, smoked sausage will work. You could even make this with cheese-stuffed sausage for an extra layer of flavor.
- Yellow onion. You can sub a red or white onion.
- Bell peppers – we use a combination of red and green peppers.
- Garlic cloves. Minced. If you are a garlic lover, add an extra clove or two.
- Tomato paste. Gives an intense depth of flavor.
- Spices. Smoked paprika, dried Italian spice blend, salt, black pepper, dried red pepper flakes.
- Long-grain white rice (uncooked). Don’t use instant rice. We used this white rice. You could use short grain rice as well but the texture will be stickier.
- Chicken broth. Vegetable or beef broth will work fine as well.
- Diced tomatoes. One 15-ounce can
- Tomato sauce. One 15-ounce can.
Here is How to Make a Sausage Skillet Dinner
This sausage and white rice recipe is an easy one to follow, and we know you’ll love this flavor-packed dinner!
Here’s a quick look at the process: make sure you scroll to the printable recipe card below.
- Brown the sausage. Browning the sausage will bring out more flavor.
- Sauté the vegetables. Sauteeing the veggies will also enhance the flavors.
- Add the garlic and spices.
- Stir in the rice and liquids. Make sure the rice gets coated with all the sauce.
- Cook the rice: After you add the liquids to the skillet, put the lid on and let the skillet dinner simmer on low.
- Cool and serve: When the cooking time is up, leave the lid on and remove the skillet from the heat. Let the skillet sit with the cover on for 15 minutes then stir and serve.
Can I Substitute the Kielbasa sausage?
If you don’t have kielbasa, you can use another type of sausage that carries a bold, smoky flavor. Use a smoked sausage, an Italian spiced sausage, or andouille sausage if you’d like this skillet dinner to have more of a spicy, Cajun taste.
Storing Leftovers:
You can store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. The flavors in this rice dinner are even better the next day so plan to save some for lunch or dinner later in the week.
Why We Love Skillet Dinners
Skillet dinners are quick, easy, and don’t require a lot of meal prep. Plus, they’re similar to a casserole in the sense that they will feed a crowd and leftovers keep well.
If you enjoy this sausage and rice skillet dinner, here are a few others we think you will love:
This is a tasty and easy recipe using sausage and rice, and we know you’ll be a big fan of the simplicity of this sausage and rice skillet dinner. It’s hearty and filling and full of bold flavors that the whole family will love! Plus, delicious dinners shouldn’t always require a whole lot of effort, right? 😉 We definitely don’t think so!
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- Skillet: Having a good-quality skillet on-hand will serve you well for years! We especially like oven-safe skillets like this cast iron skillet.
- A good chef’s knife. A reliable and affordable option is this Victorinox.
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
- Easy Italian Chicken Skillet: Meaty chicken thighs are swimming in a rich and flavorful Italian-spiced tomato sauce packed with mushrooms and garlic. It’s another one-pan dish, and a winner of a chicken dinner that works served over pasta or rice.
- Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash: This comforting fall and winter meal is full of warm spices and in-season flavors. The acorn squash serves as a “bowl” for a delicious combination of sage sausage, cornbread stuffing, herbs, and dried cranberries
- Italian Lentil Soup with Sausage: This hearty soup makes a go-to comfort food all year long! Vegetables, Italian sausage and lentils in a rich broth is especially warming during the chillier months.
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Sausage and Rice Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces kielbasa sausage sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 bell peppers red and/or green chopped
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian spice blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1-⅓ cups long-grain white rice uncooked
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot toss in the sausage and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sausage begins to brown.
- Add the onion snd bell pepper. Saute for 5 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, spice blend, salt, pepper and red pepper. Stir for about 1 minute until the garlic and spices are fragrant.
- Add the rice, chicken broth, diced tomatoes (along with the juices) and tomato sauce. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the skillet and loosen anything that may be stuck to the bottom. Stir well to coat all the rice grains.
- Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook on medium-low heat for 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat but keep the lid on and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid, stir and serve.
John / Kitchen Riffs
Wednesday 13th of January 2021
Love any and all sausages! Kielbasa is one of my go-tos. Love how quickly this dish comes together, and, wow, SO packed with flavor. Really good stuff -- thanks.
Dahn Boquist
Wednesday 13th of January 2021
Thanks John, it certainly gets devoured every time we make it