This Sausage and Rice Recipe is easy to make in just one pot with juicy bell peppers and creamy, cheesy rice. It also makes a great freezer meal!
Sausage and Rice
I have a weakness for creamy, cheesy rice, and nothing beats the flavors in this sausage. I happened to use chicken Sausage with Roasted Peppers and Asiago, but you can use any kind that you want, even ground sausage will work!
I love making casserole-style recipes like this, especially because it makes great freezer food for a quick lunch during the week.
Let’s get into everything you need to know so that you can get this one the table ASAP. Your family will love it.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Slice sausage into 1/2-inch slices and cook sauté according to package instructions. Remove and set aside. Add butter and onions to the pan, sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add chicken broth and rice. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook for 10 minutes.
Add bell peppers and replace cover, refrain from stirring. Cook for 5-10 more minutes. (Refer to package for total cooking time.) Remove from heat and let sit with the cover on for 10 minutes to allow any rice on the bottom of the pot to release.
Return to low heat and add sour cream, milk, cream of chicken soup, and shredded cheddar. Stir to combine.
Add sausage and heat until warmed through. Serve!
PRO Tips for This Recipe
How to Prevent Rice from Sticking to the Pot:
- Place the rice in a strainer and rinse in cool water for 1 minute to remove excess starch, which will help to keep it from sticking.
- Adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the chicken broth prior to adding the rice.
- Don’t mix the rice while it cooks as this releases starch and makes it stickier.
- Make sure the lid is on tightly to prevent steam from escaping.
- Let the rice sit for 10 minutes after steaming to allow any rice on the bottom to release.
Ingredient Variations
- Chicken, Ham, Ground Beef, or Steak all make excellent meat choices in this casserole.
- Different types of rice may be used. Refer to package for liquid measurements and cooking times as this will vary. *Note: I don’t recommend minute rice as it is much sticker, less creamy, and less nutritious.
- Other vegetable options in include broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, froze corn, peas, carrots, and more.
- Condensed cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, cheddar cheese soup, or broccoli cheese soup can also be used.
Be sure to check out my make-ahead rice casseroles with chicken and broccoli, ground beef and mushrooms, ham and broccoli, or chicken cordon bleu casserole!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This recipe does freeze and reheat very well for quick & easy lunches.
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Sausage and Rice - One Pot!
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 11 oz. sausage, see notes
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups white long grain rice, uncooked
- 1 small red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper, sliced
- 10.75 oz. cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Note: This recipe is designed to allow you to prepare all of the casserole ingredients in one pot. Before you begin, refer to your rice package for the amount of liquid (we'll use chicken broth) and cooking time. If preferred, cook the rice separately and skip the broth ingredient. You'll need 3 +3/4 cups of cooked rice to combine with the other casserole ingredients. I use white long grain rice and the cooking times below work perfectly.
Cooking Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Slice the sausage into ½-inch thick slices and cook according to package instructions. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the diced onions. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan along with the chicken broth. Run a silicone spatula along the bottom of the pot to lift the brown remnants from the sausage, which will give the dish more flavor.
- Bring to a boil and add the rice. Bring back to a boil and cover tightly.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers and close the lid, don’t stir. It will release starch and make the rice stickier. Cook 5-10 more minutes. (Refer to package for total cooking time.)
- Turn off the heat and leave it covered. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Any rice left on the bottom will release during this time.
- Return to low heat. Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, and cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add the sausage, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and serve!
Notes
Consider using unsalted butter and reduced sodium chicken broth/condensed soup if preferred.
Condensed cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, cheddar cheese soup, or broccoli cheese soup can also be used.
Other types of rice may be used, refer to package for liquid measurements and cooking times as this will vary.
Other meat options include chicken, steak, ground beef, and ham.
Amazing, it came out perfect! I used kielbasa sausage and yellow peppers (since that’s what I had. Husband and I enjoyed this so much! Great recipe!
Sounds like you nailed it Dianne! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
I used kielbasa sausage and instead of the peppers, I added mushrooms and asparagus. I LOVED it. My kids really liked the rice but not the sausage so next time I’ll do chicken instead! I think we would all like it best with chicken
Hey Angela! I’m glad that you loved this recipe! Feel free to make this recipe with is very similar but uses chicken and broccoli instead of sausage and peppers, it’s really popular! 🙂 -Stephanie
Love this recipe!!! I had Ritz crackers that I needed to use, so I made a crust on the bottom and the top and baked for 30 minutes. I also layered the rice mixed with sour cream and and soup.crust, rice, sausage, cheese, repeat and top with Ritz. Baked for 30 minutes.
WOW! That sounds SOOO good Kimi! I’m definitely going to have to give that a try, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and share your tips and tricks!! -Stephanie 🙂
So good and cheesy!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that Haley, thank you soo much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!! -Stephanie
Made this tonight with Italian Sausage. Also used a mixture of Asiago and Kerry Gold cheese. It is a very delicious one pot meal. Will definitely make again and try chicken.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Teresa! I think you’ll love it with chicken!😋
Can you tell how to reheat this from frozen? Made it a few weeks ago, saved some in my foil containers and want to heat it up for lunch.
Hi Casey, I actually reheat it in the microwave right from the freezer! (Amount of time depends on portion size.)
You don’t cook the rice ahead of time, sounds like it cooks while making this recipe. Going to make it right away, sounds great!
Great! I hope you love it!!
I just made this and it’s really good. So rich, in a good way. I made the rice in my rice cooker just because I know it turns out consistently perfect in there. And… I know it’s kind of an abomination, but I used hot dogs. They were the only meat I had that didn’t need to be thawed, and I wanted to cook it NOW!
Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and was very impressed. Oh! I used your condensed cream of chicken soup recipe, too. Thank you!
lol, don’t worry Holly, I think using hot dogs is thinking on your feet!😜 I’m so happy you enjoyed this and extra happy to hear you used the cream of chicken soup recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and review!❤️
Excellent and thorough recipe. How refreshing to read, follow, and taste. Much appreciated! Keep it up
I am so happy to hear that Noelle! I’ll be sure to keep the recipes coming, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie
This dish turned out pretty good. I did make a few adjustments though: I sautéed the onions and peppers with the garlic and added a little broth to the pan to soften them faster. Then I added the rice and sautéed that a little before adding the broth (and yes I mixed it). Then I added some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the rice/peppers mix and let it cook for 15 min too on. The dish wasn’t as creamy as the picture but it came out perfect to me and the rice was a oft. I used chicken jalapeño sausage from wegmans. Will definitely make this again.