One pot Cajun dirty rice is an all-in-one comforting, hearty meal with sausages, tomatoes and rice that cook together to build deep, rich flavor.

Cajun flavors are my jam. 

There’s just so much flavor built in, from the “trinity” of onion, green pepper and celery, to the meats and seasonings and spiciness all wrapped together.

Previously I’ve shared this Cajun chicken pasta, Cajun chicken and okra and Cajun sausage skillet.

And on special occasions, I’ll make this classic chicken and sausage gumbo.

Today I’m excited to share this one pot Cajun dirty rice.

I’ve made this numerous time and we all adore this mix of sausage and rice and tomatoes and veggies and the just massive amount of OOMPH this dish has!

It’s a tad bit on the spicy side, yes, but even my spice-adverse daughter loves diving into a bowl of this dirty rice.

It’s cozy and comforting and warm and hearty and I will never say no to seconds.

Plus, it’s so easy to make all in one pot! You just keep adding the ingredients in and then they all cook together, which builds that deep, rich flavor.

Oh and stay tuned because I’m working on some other skillet chicken and rice recipes that I’m hoping to bring you soon. (Update: Check out this southwest skillet chicken and rice recipe with peppers, beans and corn.

(It sometimes takes a surprisingly long time to get a recipe posted, from writing the recipe to testing and re-testing and then testing some more. Then there’s the photography, blog post writing and actually uploading everything. So I’m not slow - just thorough!)

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I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Easy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!

OK, back to today’s recipe. Let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make Cajun dirty rice. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient Notes:

• Sausage: I use and prefer a hot Italian turkey sausage for this dish. Pork sausage can be substituted as well. And if you want to reduce the heat, a mild kind is fine.
• Chorizo: This is a spicy Spanish pork sausage that you can find fresh sometimes in the meat section of your grocery store as well as packaged in a refrigerated case (such as near the link sausages and bacon). Its flavor can’t be substituted, but you could switch it out for pork sausage if you must.
• Rice: Regular long-grain white rice works best here. I’ve tried making this with brown rice and it doesn’t seem to go well.
• Diced tomatoes: I’ve used fire-roasted diced tomatoes and regular diced tomatoes and both work great in this dish. Petite diced tomatoes would be fine, and you could even try a Cajun flavored diced tomatoes if you want.

And since this is an all-in-one dish, you don’t really need anything else to serve it with for dinner!

Of course, a simple spinach salad can round out just about anything, so if you want some extra veggies, that would be a great option.

You could also have some cornbread to go with this if you like.

And I tend to keep the toppings pretty simple. Gasp! I know, that’s wild for me to say.

Some sliced green onions and hot sauce are about as far as I go.

There’s so much flavor in the dish, you don’t really need much else.

Last thing, let’s talk about what to do with the leftovers.

Storage Tips:

• Once cooled, transfer the leftover dirty rice to a covered container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until hot.
• You can also freeze the leftovers. Let cool, then pack it in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, label and date it. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
• Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a microwave-safe container in the microwave until hot.

It makes a delicious lunch later in the week.

Also, just to note, because this stores and reheats so well, it’s an easy meal to make in advance. 

Those flavors just continue to meld together and wow, it’s irresistible!

So it's a great one to prep for a busy week or to take to a friend in need.

I hope you give this a try very soon for a new delicious dinner you are gonna love.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn