How to Make Southern Sausage and Rice Pilaf

This rice dish makes a speedy and richly satisfying dinner on its own, or it can be a side dish with any spicy meal. Similar to jambalaya, this rice pilaf gets its flavor from caramelized onions and smoked sausage that cook in with the rice. This recipe makes about four or five cups.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 medium onions - chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 tsps vegetable oils
• 1 tsp butter
• pinch white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups smoked sausages - chopped
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 14.5-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp whole dry thyme
• 1 cup converted rice
• Pinch Cayenne Pepper
• Pinch White Pepper

1. Heat a 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the oil; when hot, add the onion and butter and stir to coat.

3. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to turn brown.

4. Add the sausage and stir together. Cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or two. Some of the fat in the sausage will melt and the onions will continue to brown.

5. Add the spices and stir together.

6. Add the dry rice and carefully stir it in. Stir for another minute or two so each grain of rice is coated with some of the fat, and keep the pan over the heat so the rice grains toast in the pan.

7. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

8. As soon as it boils, cover tightly and lower the heat to low. Make sure the heat is low enough so that it simmers very gently. If it simmers too fast, the rice won't cook properly.

9. Simmer for about 25 minutes then stir once and taste. Continue to cook if rice is underdone and liquid remains in the pan.

Tips & Warnings

• Use ordinary smoked sausage for this recipe or, if you can find it, raw andouille (smoked Cajun) sausage.

• Cut the sausage in half lengthwise, then cut the two lengths in half-circles about 1/8-inch thick.

• Only use low-sodium or homemade chicken broth or water for this recipe. Regular canned chicken broth is far too salty.

• Converted rice has been parboiled with the husks on, which drives some nutrients from the husks into the rice and keeps the grains separate when the rice cooks. Uncle Ben's is the most popular brand. Despite the parboiling, converted rice takes longer than regular rice to cook. You can use other types of rice (adjust the cooking time appropriately), but don't use Asian-style rices, as these will be too sticky.