Sausage and Rice Casserole
In this post I’m sharing my version of a Sausage and Rice Casserole.
Y’all, go ahead and file this under delicious! It’s a great casserole as a meal or a side dish for larger dinners, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The first time that I made a sausage and rice casserole, it was a recipe from a fellow blogger, Mandy, and was in her latest cookbook that had just been released.
We all enjoyed the dish very much but it has been three years since I’ve had it. Sigh. That is one of the things about being a food blogger is that meals don’t come back into rotation often enough.
Last week the craziest thing happened….all of the sudden I was seeing recipes for sausage and rice casseroles pop up everywhere in my news feeds. I took that as a sign from above that I needed to make one again and this time thought I’d give it my own twist and share with y’all.
Sausage and Rice Dressing
Just look at that moist, creamy and delicious casserole! Yes, it is also sometimes referred to as dressing as well.
We enjoyed this sausage casserole for dinner the evening that I made it and I had it again for lunch the next day. I may or may not have had bigger than should be allowed portions too.
I would like to offer a couple of tips when making this casserole:
- Grease the casserole dish well with some softened butter to prevent sticking.
- About halfway through baking, carefully pull out the oven rack so you can gently turn the casserole…this ensures you don’t get a lot of crunchy rice bits on top. This also helps to incorporate that nice crispy bits from the sides throughout the casserole so everyone gets some.
Easy Casserole Dinner Recipe
What is the difference between rice dressing and dirty rice? Quite a bit actually. Dirty rice is more of a skillet dish that contains beef, pork and chicken livers. Rice Dressing is made using only pork breakfast sausage and baked with a few other ingredients. They taste nothing alike.
Do I have to use creamed soups in this recipe? Yes! Creamed soups are an essential part of many casserole recipes and keep it moist and add flavor.
I cook nearly every day of the year and out of 365 days, I might use creamed soups 5 of those days. Moderation is the key to all food choices.
The spicy breakfast sausage works really well in this recipe. If you’re sensitive to spicier foods then you could opt for a mild sausage instead.
Below you’ll find the step by step instructions for preparing this dish in the printable recipe card.
Sausage and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb Hot Breakfast Sausage
- 1 tbs Butter softened (to grease the casserole dish)
- 10.5 oz Canned Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 10.5 oz Canned Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 1/2 c Celery diced
- 1 c White Long Grain Rice
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1 c Sharp Cheddar Cheese freshly grated
- Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the breakfast sausage in a skillet, crumble and drain well.
- Preheat oven to 350°F ( 176°C )
- Grease a rectangle baking dish well with a tablespoon of softened butter.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients together. NOTE: Do not dilute the creamed soups.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake 1 ½ Hours.
- Halfway through baking, carefully pull the oven rack out and gently turn (stir) the casserole mixture.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by! I know you’re gonna love this dish.
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This recipe has been proudly shared at Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday.
About Julia
Hey Y’all! I’m Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia’s Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Has anyone tried sage sausage to make it taste like dressing?
Sheri,
I’m sure that sage sausage would be amazing in this casserole.
~Julia
Do you cover with foil at all while baking?
I bake this casserole in a gas oven and I do not cover the casserole. You can cover with foil if you like, then remove it halfway through cooking when you use a spoon to gently turn over the top layer of the casserole.
~Julia
Can you substitute minute rice for the long grain in this recipe?
Katie,
I’ve never tried the recipe with minute rice. It could be done but since minute rice is pre-cooked somewhat, the amounts and cooking time may change. If you try it, let me know how it works out.
~Julia
Hi Julia,
I’m trying to prepare a few dinners for my niece who is in her last few chemo treatments. I need to freeze a few of the casseroles. Can I freeze this recipe?
Rosie,
My prayers go out to your niece as she makes it through the last stages in her recovery. This casserole can be frozen. To reheat, keep it covered tightly with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
~Julia
My wife found this recipe and had the good idea to try it. It is delicious. Especially if you use a good brand of breakfast sausage. As a quick note, I did not have time to turn the mixture over so I made the decision to let it cook through without touching it. In fact, I put it on “cooking time” for 1h20 minutes, and left it there for another 30-45 minutes doing something else while the oven cooled down. The result was nicely cooked through casserole with crunchy rice on the edges. The surface rice also had some crunchiness. As they say: Crunchy on the outside, tender in the middle. I loved it. And the taste is great.
Stephan,
I am so happy that you all enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know.
~Julia