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One Pan Meals are quick and easy, and this One Pan Smoked Sausage and Rice Skillet is a delicious one! Full of tender rice, savory smoked sausage and chunks of sweet peppers, this dish is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
Today’s Sausage and Rice recipe is made with rice, smoked turkey sausage and sweet peppers. If you’ve never had sweet peppers, they are small peppers that are sweet and crunchy and go perfectly with hummus, Guacamole or even my spinach artichoke dip.
But today they are being combined with some savory turkey sausage to make up this delicious one pan dish.
My one pan meals are also a great way to get my kids to eat some healthy veggies. It’s hard to escape them when they’re mixed in to something this delicious!
The best part is they are easy to make, and everything is done in one pan for quick clean up!
How to Make One Pan Smoked Sausage and Rice
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Start by heating some oil and sauteing some diced onion and smoked sausage.
- Next add the rice an garlic and stir it up a bit, cooking until the rice just starts to brown.
- Add the liquid and sweet peppers, and bring it to a boil.
- Cover it up and let it cook until all of the liquid is absorbed; about 20 minutes.
It’s got such a great smoky flavor – your whole family will love it!
Serving Suggestions + Variations
With this recipe, you’ve got a complete meal all in one pan and ready in about 30 minutes. It makes 4 servings, but if you want to stretch it a little farther, serve it with a refreshing Creamy German Cucumber Salad or make some delicious Wedge Salads.
Don’t have all the ingredients? Here are a few ingredient variation ideas:
- Sausage: Any kind of link smoked sausage will work, like turkey sausage, polish sausage. Smoked sausage is already cooked so make sure that your substitution is too.
- Rice: I have not tried this with brown rice, but I think if you cook it longer, it will work fine.
- Vegetables: The smoky sausage and the sweetness of the peppers are a great match, but if you want to add more veggies, I suggest broccoli or squash.
More One Pan Meals
- Cheesy Smoked Sausage and Pasta Skillet
- Spicy Lemon Chicken Pasta with Tomatoes
- Tortellini and Smoked Sausage
- One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini
- One Pan Mexican Fried Rice
- One Pot Cajun Sausage and Rice
One Pan Smoked Sausage & Rice with Sweet Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Smoked Sausage
- 1 cup rice
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup diced Sweet Peppers
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft.
- Add sliced sausage and garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring often.
- Add rice and stir for several minutes until rice starts to brown.
- Add water, salt and pepper, and sweet peppers and stir.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.
- Continue to cook, covered, for 20 minutes. If there is still liquid in the pan, remove lid and cook for a few more minutes, or until liquid is completely absorbed.
I enjoyed this. Although i added more sausage (1 lb) more onion (whole onion), five garlic cloves, and three peppers. The rice cooked perfectly for me. I browned it well. I was delicious and tasted even better the next day! Thank you!
PS This would be great with chicken thighs or ham as well.
Hello,
Maybe it’s just me. I’ve always had trouble with getting rice to cook well in a skillet. Is there a way this could be converted to a pressure cooker/instant pot? I appreciate any assistance.
Thank you,
Natalie
I haven’t tried this specific recipe in an instant pot, however we do have an Instant Pot Pepper Steak that is similar. You could use smoke sausage instead of the steak and skip the preserves, ginger and soy sauce. Let me know if you give it a try!
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years and every time I do it the rice turns out a little crispy/crunchy. Are you using a specific type of rice? Or do you think it could be when I put the rice dry in with the sausage and onions? Should I skip this step or let the rice soak in water first?
I sometimes get crunchy bits on the bottom, but they aren’t undercooked.
Made this tonight for dinner! It was fantastic, even my three picky toddlers ate it and asked for seconds!! I will definitely be making this again!
Hi, can’t wait to try this dish. Have you ever added diced chicken or shrimp to this recipe?
I haven’t, but I think either would be great!
Made this for dinner tonight, and unfortunately it did not turn out. I would suggest not putting the rice in dry!! It never absorbed the water and the water just sat in the pan even after boiling for over 20 minutes. Was really looking forward to this meal and was disappointed.
Hi Sara, I’m sorry that this didn’t turn out for you. Not having been there with you I can’t say what went wrong. However, dry, uncooked rice is best for this recipe. You want to make sure to cook the rice for a couple of minutes before adding the liquid, as stated in the recipe. Depending on the accuracy of measurements and the temperature of your burner, it’s possible that it could take longer to cook.
What are some sides to serve with the one pan smoked sausage and rice with sweet peppers?
This one pan meal is a great dish because it’s a whole meal in one pan. That said, I would probably just serve a simple salad on the side.
could you sub water for beef or chicken broth to add more flavor?
Sure!
Hi! Just wanted to know if white basmati rice would work the same for this recipe? Looks amazing btw! 🙂
Do you think brown rice or a whole grain rice would cook the same?
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried those, so I couldn’t say if they would work. Might need to adjust the cooking time. Let us know if you try it!
I can’t find the recipe.
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Thanks for the recipe! I was searching for a healthy non-partisan recipe for my hubby and kids. They will love this. Going to try it tonight.
Made this last night but used chicken sausage to make it a bit healthier, it was absolutely delicious! Love that it’s easy and only leaves one pan for cleanup! I will definitely be making this again, thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorites, too!
How many does this serve?
It serves about 4.
I usually use basmati rice but in a rice cooker. What kind of rice should be used in this recipe? Thank you!
Long grain white rice.
Can instant rice be used?
I wouldn’t us instant rice, I don’t think it would work the same.
Same question as above, could you clarify if the rice should be boiled first?
The rice is put into the pan dry, and is cooked with the rest of the meal.
Is the rice supposed to be boiled first or not?