My rice and sausage casserole has a Cajun flair. Smoked sausage, long-grain rice and red beans bake up fluffy and flavorful in the oven.
If you like this recipe, check out The Best Rice Pilaf next!
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I like taking vintage recipes and reimagining them. I took the concept of oven baking uncooked rice in a buttery broth from my mom’s rice pilaf recipe. And turned it into a hearty rice casserole with savory sausage.
Anytime I can use a shortcut without sacrificing flavor, I’ll take it. This recipe begins by cooking a frozen mix of Cajun “holy trinity” – the classic combo of onion, celery and green bell pepper. Butter, creole seasoning and Worcestershire sauce add delicious flavor to a perfectly baked combo of fluffy rice, smoked sausage and beans. This meal is ready to be baked in its casserole dish in less than 20 minutes!
More casserole recipes
Ingredients for rice and sausage casserole
- Rice – Long-grain rice like basmati and jasmine are ideal for oven baked pilafs because the grains stay separate and fluffy.
- Sausage – Use your favorite brand of link smoked sausage or Kielbasa. Typical packages are 14 ounces.
- Veggies – One of my favorite shortcuts is to use a frozen bag of mirepoix. In this case, I used a Cajun blend which is a combination of yellow onion, celery and green pepper. You can by all means choose to use fresh veggies instead of frozen.
- Beans – Red beans and rice is a classic combo and I love the addition of fiber, texture and flavor a can of beans adds to this casserole dish.
- Butter and Broth – A half stick of butter plus good quality chicken stock bakes this rice dish to absolute perfection.
- Flavorings – This main dish is flavored with Worcestershire sauce, two teaspoons of the green can creole seasoning, salt and black pepper.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet oven medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the frozen mirepoix. Cook until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the creole seasoning, salt, pepper and smoked sausage. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sausage is just starting to brown.
Pour both the rice and drained beans into a 9×13 casserole dish. Add the cooked sausage and veggies. Pour over the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Use a spatula to gently stir the ingredients together, making sure all the rice is submerged in the broth.
Bake uncovered for one hour. Serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
I envision this casserole as an easy weeknight main dish. But you could be creative and even serve it as a rice dressing at Thanksgiving. Here’s some of my recipes to turn this casserole into a complete meal –
Storage directions
Cover the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Rice and Sausage Casserole
Equipment
- 1 9x13 Casserole Dish
- 1 Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 oz frozen Cajun style mirepoix a blend of chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper
- 14 oz smoked sausage halved and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 15 oz light red kidney beans drained
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp creole seasoning blend I use the green can
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pour the uncooked rice and drained beans into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter. Stir in the frozen mirepoix and cooked until softened, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the creole seasoning, salt and pepper and the chopped smoked sausage. Cook stirring occasionally until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the sausage is just starting to brown.
- Pour the cooked sausage mixture into the casserole dish with the rice and beans. Gently pour the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce over top. Use a spatula to gently stir together the mixture right in the casserole dish. Be sure to make sure the rice is submerged in the broth.
- Bake at 350 for one hour. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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