Rich, hearty and full of flavor, Louisiana Dirty Rice is one of those delectably versatile side dishes that you just might let steal the show. A true Southern recipe, dirty rice is sometimes even used as a dressing (or stuffing) for chicken, turkey and quail. At my house, it even shows up as the main dish from time to time, complete with side dishes like fried okra, pinto beans and yellow cornbread.

A wooden spoonful of Louisiana Dirty Rice.

What You Need To Make Louisiana Dirty Rice

  • 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

The ingredients for Louisiana Dirty Rice

Traditional dirty rice is made with finely diced or ground chicken livers.
The chicken livers are used to bring a full-bodied richness to the dish and almost act like a binder to hold it all together.

But I’ll be honest. Liver of any sort just isn’t my bag. Not even a little bit. I just can’t. So you will find them conspicuously missing from this recipe.

Instead, I use a little bacon grease and flour. This adds a ton of just the right kind of full flavor we all love and acts as a perfect binder at the same time.

A finished skillet of Dirty Rice.

Just look at all that yummy goodness! It’s so savory and spicy. Everything you want in a classic southern dish, and nothing you don’t.

An upclose of Louisiana dirty rice in a cast iron skillet.

A finished skillet of Dirty Rice.

Louisiana Dirty Rice

A true southern side dish, Louisiana Dirty Rice is filled with sausage, ground beef, bell pepper, onion, celery & spices.  Also perfect as a dressing or stuffing for chicken, turkey or quail.
4.23 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, Louisiana, Rice, sausage
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Stacey | SouthernDiscourse.com

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork sausage
  • 4-5 C cooked rice, prepared with chicken broth
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • 3/4 C green bell pepper, diced
  • 3/4 C yellow onion, diced
  • 1/4 C celery, diced
  • 1/4 C flour
  • 1 Tbsp bacon grease or cooking oil
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, heat bacon grease or cooking oil.  Add ground beef and sausage and brown.
  • As meat begins to brown, add diced bell pepper, onion and celery.
  • When meat is fully browned, stir in herbs and spices except for parsley.  Mix well.  Add flour. Mix well again, making sure the flour coats the meat.
  • Add broth and bay leaves.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any of the browned bits from the pan.  Allow to simmer 5-8 minutes.
  • Fold in rice and parsley.  Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve.

Notes

Traditional Dirty Rice is made using finely chopped chicken livers, this recipe uses bacon grease to make up for their rich flavor.  Sometimes mushrooms or even oysters are added as a substitute.

Shared this week on Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday.

Making It Easy To Make & Serve

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Louisiana Dirty Rice is an authentic Southern side dish filled with ground beef, sausage, bellpepper, onion, celery & spices. Can be used as a dressing or stuffing for chicken or even served as a main dish with cornbread! #southerndiscourse #comfortfood #dirtyrice #ricesidedish #sidedish #creole #cajun #louisiana