Easy Homemade Dirty Rice
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
With Creole seasoning, turkey sausage, vegetables, and rice, my Cajun-style easy homemade recipe for dirty rice is the perfect flavorful weeknight supper to make for your family.
Some of the best food comes out of Louisiana, like this recipe for dirty rice, which is a Cajun classic. Now, it’s called “dirty rice” (also known as Cajun rice and rice dressing) because traditionally, it was cooked with minced chicken livers, spices, and vegetables, which turned the white rice “dirty”. Over the years, many versions of this filling Creole supper have sprouted up, so this is my take.
This dirty rice recipe is a great go-to meal for busy weekdays. It also happens to be one of my favorite make-ahead meals to take on camping trips. I always make up a double batch of this recipe for dirty rice ahead of time, refrigerate or freeze it, and have instant comfort food whenever we need it. Since it is so easy to reheat, this is one of those recipes that I suggest always doubling. By simply doubling a few meals from time to time, you can build up a bank of convenience meals and shop your freezer rather than stopping by a drive-through.
Now, I’m bypassing chicken livers in favor of turkey sausage. What else do you need? Rice, Creole seasoning, dried or fresh parsley, onion, bell pepper, celery (a.k.a the Holy Trinity in Cajun cooking), and minced garlic. Weeknight meals don’t get much easier than this. We just have to chop up our vegetables, cook our rice, and slowly add all of the ingredients to a skillet. I can never resist a one-pan meal, how about you? Better yet, it’s ready to serve in 30 minutes. Serve with BBQ Chicken Breast in Oven, Southern Fried Chicken Recipe (Fuss-Free), Simple Southern Fried Catfish and you will have the perfect meal.
The Creole seasoning adds so much flavor to this simple Cajun dirty rice recipe. It’s hearty, filling, and a must-make, so let’s go!
Recipe Ingredients
- Cooked rice (to decrease carbs you can use cauliflower rice)
- Creole seasoning
- Dried or fresh parsley
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Turkey sausage
- Celery
- Chopped or minced garlic
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make The Best Dirty Rice Recipe at Home
Chop all your herbs and veggies: bell pepper, celery, parsley, and onion. You can use dried parsley if you prefer.
Place these in a large skillet along with your sausage and minced garlic.
Chop up your sausage a bit and cook that over medium to medium-high heat.
Cook this until the sausage is cooked through and the veggies are tender.
Stir in your Creole seasoning.
I use two and a half tablespoons and it is perfect for us. You may want to start with a little less and taste it. You may end up using a lot more!
Lookin’ good!
Toss in cooked rice.
Stir that up well and make sure your rice is heated through.
Sit down with a glass of iced tea and a fine meal!
Storage
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. This dish tastes just like it was freshly made when you reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe Notes
- I LOVE Jennie-O turkey sausage. The mild and hot are both really good. That is the main brand I recommend if you can find it. I get it at Publix. If you can only find Butterball sausage, I’d just use ground beef or ground pork instead.
- While long grain white rice is the most popular, you can also use brown rice or wild rice.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use Cajun seasoning instead?
You can! Cajun seasoning is more pepper-heavy and thus spicier than Creole seasoning, which features various herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme. If you want to use Creole seasoning but add a little bit more heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more to taste).
What is in Zatarain’s Dirty Rice?
Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Dinner Mix is made with long grain rice, onion, garlic, red and green bell pepper, and spices like red pepper flakes and paprika. So our recipe for dirty rice is very similar and a bit of a Zatarain copycat version.
How do you make Popeye’s Cajun Rice?
Popeye’s Cajun Rice side dish is also very similar to our recipe. However, Popeye’s uses ground beef and minced chicken gizzards. They also use more spices than just Creole seasoning, like garlic powder, celery seed, cayenne pepper, and coarse ground black pepper.
What do you serve with dirty rice?
This dirty rice is the perfect main dish as it is. But if you’d prefer to serve it as a side, serve it with some fried catfish, blackened chicken, or fried chicken, Popeye’s style.
You may also like these rice recipes:
Crockpot Fiesta Chicken and Rice
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups cooked rice
- 1 pound uncooked turkey sausage or ground beef
- 1-3 tablespoons Creole seasoning* I use Tony Chachere's
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped or minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, place celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, and sausage. Break up the sausage and cook all, stirring regularly, until sausage is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.1 pound uncooked turkey sausage, 1 celery stalk, chopped, 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 bell pepper, chopped, 2 tablespoons chopped or minced garlic, 4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Add the Creole seasoning and stir. Then stir in the rice and continue cooking over medium heat until rice is heated through, stirring well the whole time.4-5 cups cooked rice, 1-3 tablespoons Creole seasoning*
Notes
Nutrition
Made this rice many times and always get asked to asked to make it again. I do a couple things differet. I use hot italian sausage and cut back a little on the seasoning, I also mix in a little butter at the end. So good and simple! Thanks for sharing!!
Your version sounds good too!!
Love this recipe. I see you use Tony’s. Have you ever tried a Cajun seasoning called “Slap ya Mama”. I get it at wal-mart also. I like it better than Tony’s sometimes. Doesn’t have quite as much something, maybe cumin?
Ooh I havne’t tried that but I want to now!!!
Hello, I made this last night never having creole seasoning before. I pretty much followed your recipe, only thing I did different was I put half a tablespoon creole seasoning in the rice before I cooked it. I then added the two tablespoons to the meat mixture after it was cooked per the instructions. I bought the same brand you suggested but this stuff was WAY to salty. My youngest son(24yrs) couldn’t eat it. After the salt taste died down there was a good heat to it then it tasted good but with every bite there is a strong salt hit. Is the recipe at tipnut.com for homemade creole seasoning good? If I make it then I can reduce the salt but would I still use the two and a half tablespoons as directed or should I use less?
Thanks!
With the seasonings already and then adding the creole seasoning I imagine that did add a lot of sodium. I am afraid I can’t say whether one is better to use than the other, I always make it as directed without adding other things. It will be a trial and error experiment for you.
You said “with the seasoning already” I didn’t add any other seasoning. I used white rice and ground beef that’s why I added a bit of creole seasoning to the rice and didn’t go over the two and a half tablespoons the recipe called for. I will try the homemade version for the creole seasoning because even though this dish was salty I did like it. ☺
I’m sorry, I was referring to adding seasoning in a part of the recipe where I didn’t add seasoning. I see what you are saying, though. Homemade versions are so much fun to work with because you can really customize to your liking. I tend to always up garlic and paprika when I make seasonings, etc. You may have used a saltier version of Creole seasoning than I use, or the exact same one and just prefer less salt than I do. I admit to loving the flavor enhancing qualities of salt and we don’t have any particular sensitivity to it but either way you go, you are definitely on the right track!
Thanks! on a side note I’d just like to say the leftovers reheated and mixed with scrambled eggs are wonderful! Eggs need salt and the leftovers provided the right amount for the eggs. Yummy!
Tony’s makes a no salt version of it’s seasonings that is great for all of us who can’t have that much salt.
i am a Cajun, that does not look like dirty rice, nor how we make it
Hey Stephen, thanks for taking the time to let me know that. It’s a shame you couldn’t have taken the time to read the post where I addressed this but I reckon leaving this comment is all you were after anyway so we both get to leave here happy. Have a great day!
Note to all Cajuns: If you’re reading this post, just stop now and tell me what time dinner will be ready. I’m on my way…
God bless you, Meshell!
I’m from Louisiana. Born in Shreveport, but grew up in NOLA. I can promise you that there are as many recipes for dirty rice as their are Cajuns. And I’m fine with this one. Christy, I enjoy your site. I rarely follow any recipe exactly, but I get amazing ideas for dinner here, and many of the ones that I remember from my youth. (My Mom was from Huntsville, so not all our food was Cajun/creole in origin!) Thanks for the work you do on this site.
Tried this and EVERY BODY LOVES IT my search for a meal at our family deer camp is solved WONDERFUL
I am so glad to hear it was a hit with everyone!!!!
I did 2 Tablespoons of the cajun seasoning and it was just right for me, though the kids had to have mac n cheese instead. I used a different brand of spice than what you have pictured though and it was a little too salty. Will have to pick up some Tony Chachere’s.
I am glad you liked it Josey!!!
Hi Christy, I am waving to you as we drive through Alabama! We are on our way back home to TX. Your state is lovely but you need to stop this rain for us! Houston was flooded when we left home, as was most of the state. We hope things have dried out a bit.
For those who lost family members or friends, my prayers are with you.
The recipe looks great…just right. I’m a native Texan, but I do not like foods too spicy. No hot peppers for me!
Thanks for the homeschool curriculum sale information. My children are all adults now, so my homeschooling days are over. I love the material though, and wish this had been available to me years ago!
My grandchildren are homeschooled, so I may order some of this anyway.
I also passed on the information to my daughter and daughter-in-law.
Have a nice day!
I waved back Wanda and hope you had a wonderful visit here despite the rain!!