Enjoy all the savory goodness of my #1 classic Louisiana Dirty recipe with the convenience of a slow cooker. That’s right! I took my family’s original recipe with ground beef, ground sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, simple herbs and spices and tweaked the cooking process so now even the busiest weeknights or holiday dinner schedules have time for tender Crock Pot Dirty Rice loaded with all the rich Louisiana flavors you love!
What Is Dirty Rice?
Dirty Rice, sometimes called ‘rice dressing,’ is a classic savory Louisiana rice dish that starts with browning spicy meats, then layering in rich flavor with onion, bell pepper, celery (the Holy Trinity of Louisiana cooking) and a handful of spices before folding in rice. The rice achieves its “dirty” brown color from simmering in all that goodness and absorbing its deep flavor.
Why I Love This Crock Pot Dirty Rice Recipe
- It’s loaded with authentic Louisiana flavor. Being from Louisiana, I LOVE Dirty Rice. To create this slow cooker version, I took my family’s Dirty Rice recipe and tweaked the instructions so it cooks up nice and fluffy with all of the traditional savory goodness (some call it cajun flavor) using the convenience of the crock pot.
- This recipe has a prep-ahead option to make it even more convenient for those days when you’re too busy to cook!
- This crock pot version is perfect for the holidays and potlucks. There have been holiday dinners when I have dried out my Dirty Rice trying to keep it warm in the oven or by trying to warm it up because I made it the day before. With the crock pot and prep-ahead steps, I don’t worry about that anymore.
RELATED RECIPES: Must-Have Mardi Gras Recipes
Do You Have To Use Livers to Make Dirty Rice?
No, you don’t. My family is from Louisiana. We don’t make Dirty Rice with chicken livers. Never have. And there are a whole lot of us who don’t.
Instead, this recipe uses a little bacon grease, ground beef and ground pork sausage with flour to thicken and bind the dish together and create rich layers of deep flavor. Livers? You’ll never miss them.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Dirty Rice
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- white rice
- ground beef
- ground sausage
- bell pepper
- onion
- celery
- chicken broth
- flour, cooking oil
- chili powder, oregano, parsley, thyme, paprika, bay leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, & cayenne
How to Make Easy Dirty Rice In The Slow Cooker
Brown & Season the Ground Beef & Sausage. In a large skillet, heat bacon grease or cooking oil. Add ground beef and sausage and begin to brown. As the meats brown, add diced bell pepper, onion and celery. When meat is fully browned, stir in herbs and spices except for parsley and bay leaves. Mix well. Add flour. Mix again, making sure the flour coats the meat.
Let the Crock Pot Do Its Thing. Transfer the meat mixture to your crock pot. Add uncooked rice, broth and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high for 3 – 3 ½ hours.
Serve. Remove the crock pot lid, add chopped parsley, fluff your dirty rice with a fork or wooden spoon and enjoy!
Crock Pot Dirty Rice Tips
Not all slow cookers cook the same. If after 3 hours on high your rice is not cooked, then simply add 30 minutes to your cook time. If your rice is mushy after 3 hours, then the next time try ½ cup less chicken broth and test your rice at 2 ½ hours. I usually break all the crock pot rules and open it at 2 ½ hours regardless, fluff the rice and give it a quick check.
Leftovers?
Remake your leftovers into delicious stuffed peppers with this Louisiana Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers Recipe or simple store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave or multiple servings on the stove top with extra chicken broth. Leftovers can also be frozen in an air tight freezer proof container for 2 months.
How to Prep This Recipe Ahead of Time
If you like to put the crock pot on to cook before you head to work or church, then prepping this slow cooker Dirty Rice recipe ahead of time is for you! Simply prepare the ground meat and sausage with the chopped vegetables, seasonings and flour a day or two before. Cool and store in a zip top bag in the fridge.
When you’re ready, add the prepared meat mixture, rice, bay leaves and broth to the crock pot according to the instructions and finish the recipe.
Freezer Option/Halving The Recipe
You can also store the meat and veggie mixture in the freezer if you want to prep it further in advance than just a day or two. Additionally, you can freeze half the meat mixture for later and use half for the recipe now.
When using just half the meat mixture, finish the recipe with 1 cup rice, 2 cups broth, 1 bay leaf and 1 tablespoon fresh parsley.
What To Serve with Crock Pot Dirty Rice
- Easy Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
- Beefy Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- Fluffy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Southern Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Easy Green Salad with Creamy Mayo Vinaigrette
More Rice Recipes You’ll Love
- Louisiana Red Beans & Rice
- Easy Sausage Jambalaya
- Beef & Mushroom Rice
- Cheesy Mexican Rice Casserole
- Wild Rice & Sausage Casserole
- Italian Stuffed Eggplant with Sausage & Rice
If You Love Louisiana Comfort Food & Have Made This Recipe, Give It All The Stars & Leave A Fun Comment! Or Tag Me @SouthernDiscourse On Instagram To Be Featured. I Love Hearing From You!
Easy Crock Pot Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 2 C uncooked rice
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- ¾ C green bell pepper, diced
- ¾ C yellow onion, diced
- ¼ C celery, diced
- ¼ C flour
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease or cooking oil
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat bacon grease or cooking oil. Add ground beef and sausage and begin to brown.
- As the meats brown, add diced bell pepper, onion and celery.
- When meat is fully browned, stir in herbs and spices except for parsley and bay leaves. Mix well. Add flour. Mix well again, making sure the flour coats the meat.
- Transfer the meat mixture to your crock pot. Add uncooked rice, broth and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high for 3 – 3 ½ hours.
- Remove lid, add chopped parsley, fluff rice and enjoy!
Notes
This is my family’s classic Louisiana Dirty Rice Recipe with ground beef, ground sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, simple herbs and spices tweaked for crockpot cooking! Now even the busiest weeknights or holiday dinner schedules has time for tender Crock Pot Dirty Rice.
when stuffing bell peppers with the dirty rice, how long do need to cook them in a crockpot?
Hi, Ruth! I think this is the recipe you’re looking for. These Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers only take 20 minutes in the oven. https://southerndiscourse.com/louisiana-dirty-rice-stuffed-peppers/
I followed this recipe to make for my shop technicians. Doubled the recipe for ten guys. They absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to make again for my family! I follow alot of your recipes and everyone of them is great. Keep sharing those recipes. Thank you
Hi, Edward! Thank you so very much! I am just tickled to hear this. Truly makes my day!
Love the idea of cooking in the crockpot! Delicious!
Hi, Mary! It’s a great alternative!
How spicy is this dish with the spices listed in the recipe?
Hi, Beverly! This isn’t a hot and spicy dish, but it is well-seasoned (full flavored) and very savory.
Doing this in a crockpot is GENIUS. I’ve been making a dirty rice that has slightly different ingredients but this recipe inspired me to add flour AND try the crockpot and it’s a whole new world. Love it! Thank you for this!
Hi, Paisley! This is awesome! Thank you so much! I am absolutely tickled you tried this!