Easy Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet
Italian sausage links with fresh or frozen produce and a few pantry essentials make this one-pot meal a family favorite. This easy Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet is sure to be your new go-to weeknight meal.
Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet
As a mom of five and multi-business owner, I’m all about meals that can stretch a dollar, feed many mouthes, and be ready in 30 minutes or less. One trick I’ve learned in making meals for my kids is to include at least one primary ingredient that they know, like, and trust. For this meal, that’s the rice.
Rice is a pantry essential for any household. If you’re looking for a good filler for tummies and a way to stretch the rest of your meal, serve it over rice, with rice as a side, or cooked in rice. This recipe, along with many others you find on the internet, can use any kind of rice. Simply adjust the cooking time based on your rice’s instructions.
We used to be big instant rice fans. However, we’ve really switched over to Jasmine white rice for the sweet aroma, subtle taste, and ability to add it into nearly any dish. Now we can cook it right in our soups, skillets, etc. with stock or wine instead of boring water.
Ingredients for this Easy Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet
These are the ingredients you’ll need and how to make substitutions based on what you have.
- Olive Oil
- Italian Sausage – I used 8″ links from the freezer. You can substitute Kielbasa, ground sausage, or sausage links. Italian is the flavor we’re going for but you can use whatever you have on hand. Just be sure to chop or break the pieces apart for protein in each bite.
- Whole Yellow Onion – you can use 1 cup of frozen pre-chopped onions as well. If you don’t have either, use 1 Tablespoon of Onion Powder.
- Large Green Pepper – you can again use 1 cup of frozen pre-chopped Bell Peppers.
- Sliced Mushrooms – while I used portobello, you could use whatever kind you have on hand. Frozen or canned of a similar measurement will work. Drain the can first of liquid if using canned.
- Minced Garlic – fresh is best from the pantry. However, you can substitute for 1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder instead.
- Uncooked Rice – I used Jasmine white rice, but any you have on hand is great as a filler. You can use leftover rice as well. Just reduce the stock by 1 cup and heat through.
- Canned Tomatoes – any canned tomatoes you have should be fine. If you don’t have any, increase the amount of sauce by 1 cup.
- Pasta Sauce – I used Traditional so I could control the flavors. If you have meat sauce just use as directed. If you have flavored sauce, I would cut back by 1/4 cup and taste as you add to make sure it’s flavorful. If you don’t have pasta sauce, use 1/2 cup of tomato paste and mix in at step 2.
If you’re having trouble or need to make other adjustments, hop over to the Facebook Group where we can help you decide what to do.
How to make this Sausage and Rice Skillet with step by step images
Step 1 dice and brown sausage 
Remove sausage from skillet 
Step 2 saute peppers, onions, and mushrooms 
Step 3 add seasonings 
Step 4 add garlic 
Step 5 add uncooked rice 
Stir together to soak up any liquid 
Step 6 add stock and sausage to skillet 
Top with thyme and bay leaf. 
Step 7 Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes 
Step 8 add diced tomatoes and pasta sauce
How to store leftover Sausage and Rice
If, and that’s a big if, there are any leftovers of this delicious dish simply store in a Tupperware container in the fridge for up to a week. This also makes for the perfect make-ahead meal. Cook the meal as directed and place into a freezer-safe casserole dish (the aluminum ones from the grocery store are fine), allow to cool completely, cover airtight with the provided cover or tin foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
One Skillet Sausage and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 8 inch Italian sausages
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large green pepper diced
- 8 ounce baby portobello mushrooms pre-sliced
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bayleaf
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomato
- 1 cup pasta sauce
Optional Toppings
- shaved Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat three tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large 12″ skillet. Add sausage and sear both sides. About a minute or two on each side. Remove from skillet.
- Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms to hot skillet for 5 minutes. Add spices and stir.
- Add garlic and rice to the skillet. Stir until rice is coated and has absorbed the oil.
- Add chicken stock and sausage to skillet and stir. Place bay leaf and time ontop Cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil then reduce to a summer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
- Remove lid. Stir in diced tomatoes and enough sauce to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: Serve with parsley and or parm cheese.
