Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet (One Pot)
This is the kind of one-pot dinner I lean on when I want big Cajun flavor without a sink full of dishes. Smoky andouille gets browned off first, then everything — rice, tomatoes, stock — builds and finishes in that same skillet, soaking up all the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan. Get your prep done before the heat comes on and it pretty much cooks itself from there.
More than most of my recipes, this one is about the prep. In the video, the parsley, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and sausage all get cut and set aside before the stove ever comes on — even the stock, tomatoes, and seasoning blend get measured out and staged within arm's reach. Mise en place, like I say on camera: it's all about working smarter. And yes, I stumble over the word "andouille" more than once in this one. Y'all know what I'm saying, though.
The trick worth stealing came to me mid-cook: once the pan comes down to a simmer, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over it, under the lid. It keeps all the steam and heat in, and the rice cooks a lot more evenly. Past that, it's chop, stir, and a 20-minute covered simmer — you can make this tonight.
Watch me make it — video from my YouTube channel
The recipe
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 bell pepper, diced (I use red; green works too)
- 2 to 3 green onions, chopped
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, chopped (or about 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
- andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 cup rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 tablespoon butter
- fresh parsley, chopped (just a sprinkle — you won't need all of it)
- Cajun seasoning blend, to taste
- oil, for browning the sausage
How to Make It
- Chop the parsley and set aside.
- Dice the bell pepper and set aside.
- Chop the green onions (you only need 2 to 3) and set aside.
- Chop 4 to 5 garlic cloves, or measure about 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and set aside.
- Slice the andouille sausage into rounds and set aside.
- Measure 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and set aside.
- Measure 15 ounces diced tomatoes and set aside.
- Combine your seasonings in a small bowl, mix, and set aside.
- Rinse 1 cup of rice until the water runs clear, then set aside.
- Heat some oil in a hot pan over medium-high heat.
- Brown the andouille sausage rounds on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes, until each side is browned really well, then remove to the side.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly.
- Add the green onions and diced bell pepper, and sauté together for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rinsed rice until evenly coated.
- Add the seasoning blend — the whole bowl you mixed during prep — and stir it up really well.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and a sprinkle of fresh parsley until evenly incorporated.
- Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock.
- Cover with a lid, turn the heat all the way up to high, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the browned sausage back in.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Curtis's Tips
- It's an easy one-pot recipe — get all your prep done first so it's a smooth transition. Mise en place: everything within arm's reach. It's all about working smarter.
- Bell pepper color is up to you — I use red, but green works too.
- You can swap chopped fresh garlic for about a tablespoon of minced garlic if you don't feel like cutting cloves.
- Rinse the rice really well, until the water runs clear.
- Keep the sausage browning to about 3 to 4 minutes per side so each side browns really well.
- You can leave the browned sausage in the pan or remove it and add it back later — I like to pull it out and bring it back in at the end.
- Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan, under the lid — it keeps the steam and heat in so the rice cooks more evenly.
Why this works
The word I keep coming back to in the video is even. The sausage browns first in a hot, oiled pan — about 3 to 4 minutes, so each side browns really well — then the butter, garlic, green onions, and diced bell pepper get their own 2-to-3-minute sauté in that same skillet. The rinsed rice gets stirred in until it's all even, and the whole bowl of seasoning goes in next, stirred up really well, before the tomatoes and stock ever hit the pan. From there the pot does the work: lid on, heat up high until it boils, sausage back in, then down to a simmer for 20 minutes. The foil is the same idea — it holds the steam and heat in so the rice cooks a lot more evenly.
FAQ
Do you rinse the rice?
Yes — really well, until the water runs clear. It happens during prep in the video, before anything touches the stove, so the rice is sitting there ready when the pan needs it.
Can I use minced garlic instead of fresh cloves?
Absolutely. I chop 4 to 5 fresh cloves in the video, but I say it right there on camera: about a tablespoon of minced garlic works fine if you don't feel like cutting up fresh garlic.
Do I have to take the sausage out after browning?
It's up to you. You can keep it in the skillet the whole way, or do what I do — pull it out after browning, build the rice in the same pan, and drop the sausage back in once the stock comes up to a boil. I like to separate it and bring it back, but either way works.
How long does this actually take?
Once the prep is done, the cooking moves fast: about 3 to 4 minutes browning the sausage, 2 to 3 minutes sautéing the garlic, green onions, and bell pepper, and then a 20-minute covered simmer where the pan does the work while you don't. Most of the effort in this dish lives on the cutting board.
Does it matter what color bell pepper I use?
No. I use red in the video, but green works too — it's up to you. Either way, dice up one whole bell pepper during prep; it goes into the pan with the green onions during that 2-to-3-minute sauté.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 4 servings): ~520 calories · 19 g protein · 28 g fat · 48 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
