One Pot Sausage with Peppers and Rice

Weeknight dinners can’t get any easier than this!  Grains, protein, and veggies all together in this One Pot Sausage with Peppers and Rice.  This dish has all the bases covered and with very little cleanup as well! Make extra because not only does it freeze well, it reheats quickly and easily too!

One Pot Sausage with Peppers and Rice is one of our favourite go-to meals.  And, if you have not been living on the moon for most of 2017, you will most likely have concluded that 2017 was the year of the one-pot dinner.  The one-pot dinner, of course, was not to be overshadowed by the sheet pan meal!  I actually made two sheet pan meals in 2017 that was posted to my blog.  First, I made Roasted Sausage with Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash, and then I made Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan.

As for one-pot recipes, well, I fell a little behind in that category – with the exception of soup and stew recipes, which are usually one-pot recipes anyway.  So, I have decided that in 2018, I will strive to post more one-pot recipes, and a few sheet pan recipes as well, because I want to make your life easier, Dear Reader.  That’s my gift to you!

One Pot Sausage with Peppers and Rice is very adaptable as well, which is another reason I love it.  Don’t worry about having red bell pepper and green bell pepper on hand for this recipe.  Feel free to use orange or yellow bell pepper, or any combination of the four colours actually.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN!

This dish is also very adaptable to a vegetarian diet.  Most larger grocery stores stock and sell a vegetarian version of sausage.  My absolute favourite can be found at Trader Joe’s.  But, Amy’s makes a good version, and so does Morning Star (which can be found at most Walmarts).  And if you’re using real sausage meat, you can explore different options there as well.  Try a spicy sausage if you’re looking for a little heat, or a mild sausage if you can’t handle too much spice.

Another option for this recipe is to decide whether or not you want to use instant white rice or brown rice.  Minute Rice is readily available almost anywhere and is one of my favourite brands for instant rice or quick-cook rice options.  Brown rice is more heart-healthy, but I much prefer the texture of white rice in this dish.  Lastly, you can change out the stock too.  I used chicken stock, but you can use beef stock, or even vegetable stock if you decide to make this recipe a vegetarian version.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Sausage – I love the flavour of hot Italian sausage, but you can use a milder sausage if you wish. The casing is removed and discarded, so you could use ground sausage meat too.
• Olive Oil
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onion.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves of garlic add flavour and depth. Plus, pasta dishes love garlic!
• Bell Peppers – I used both red and green bell peppers, but you can use any one colour or a combination of colours as I did.
• Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty! Chicken stock is fine too!
• Instant White Rice – The rice does not need to be cooked first. It’s important to use instant cook rice because regular rice will be quite hard still if you use it in this recipe.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Parsley – Use fresh chopped parsley for colour and garnish.

HOW TO MAKE ONE POT SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS AND RICE

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, onion, and sausage. Over medium heat, saute until sausage is cooked – about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers. Saute for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to a medium-low. Add the broth, salt, pepper, and rice. Stir to combine. Cover the skillet or Dutch oven with a lid and allow the rice to cook for 5 minutes. The broth should be absorbed, if not, keep the lid off and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat, serve immediately and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

SUBSTITUTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED HERE!

One Pot Sausage with Peppers and Rice is just one of those dishes that allows itself to be modified to suit the needs and wants of you, the at-home cook, while maintaining the great tastes and flavours you’d come to expect from such a humble, home-cooked, comforting dish as this.  I’m getting hungry all over again just thinking about sauteed, crumbled sausage, fresh bell peppers, and steamed rice all cooked in the same pot with the addition of onions and garlic, along with the chicken stock. 

Whatever you decide, just remember, this dish is all about great flavour, easy and fast cooking, very little cleanup, and placing a hearty meal on the table.  Who can argue with any of those things?  Before I leave you with the recipe, it’s worth mentioning that this recipe will also work well with chicken sausage or turkey sausage.  Not everything has to be pork sausage – but, if it wasn’t, the world would be a sad, sad place.  Have I told you how much I love pork?  Ha!

Enough about me and my love of pork.  You came here to get the recipe, so without further delay, here you go!  Enjoy!!