So I was supposed to make this Mexican rice thing for dinner last month but grabbed the wrong sausage at the store. Came home with spicy Italian instead of chorizo. Was annoyed at first, then figured I’d just roll with it and see what happens.
Turns out accidentally buying the wrong ingredient led to one of my favorite weeknight dinners now.
How This Came About
Couldn’t return the sausage because I’d already been to the store and wasn’t going back. Had rice, some canned beans, tomatoes. Just started throwing stuff in a pan and adjusting seasonings as I went.
My wife came home from work, tasted it, and immediately asked what the recipe was so she could make it. Had to tell her there wasn’t one – I’d just winged it. Wrote it down that night so I could make it again.
Now we have it at least twice a month. Kids eat it without complaining, which is basically a miracle.
Why This Recipe’s Great
Everything cooks in one skillet. Brown the sausage, throw everything else in, cover it, and walk away for 40 minutes. Come back and dinner’s done.
The sausage fat flavors the rice while it cooks. The tomatoes keep everything from drying out. Those white beans add protein and make it more filling.
And it’s one of those meals that actually tastes better the next day. The flavors all meld together overnight in the fridge.
What Goes In It
Spicy Italian sausage – One pound. Get the good stuff with actual spices in it, not that weird processed kind. Needs to be raw, not precooked. If it’s in casings, squeeze the meat out.
Red onion – One medium-sized, diced up. Regular yellow or white onion works fine too.
Bell pepper – Any color you want, about a cup diced. I usually grab whatever’s on sale.
Brown rice – Two cups of the long grain kind. White rice works but you’ll need to adjust the liquid and time.
White beans – One can, drained. Navy beans, cannellini, Great Northern, whatever. Could use black beans or chickpeas instead.
Canned diced tomatoes – The 14-ounce can. Don’t drain these – you need that liquid.
Italian herbs – Two teaspoons of the dried mixed kind. Or just throw in whatever you have – basil, oregano, thyme.
Garlic powder – One teaspoon. Fresh garlic works but add it with the vegetables.
Salt – Half a teaspoon to start.
Red pepper flakes – Quarter teaspoon if you want some heat. Skip if you’re feeding kids.
Water – Five and a half cups. This seems like a lot but brown rice needs it.
Fresh spinach – About 6 ounces. It cooks down to nothing so don’t worry about it looking like too much.
Making It Happen
Get your biggest skillet out. Like, the really big one. This makes a lot.
Put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Squeeze or crumble that sausage into the pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. You want it all browned and cooked through, maybe 5-10 minutes.
If there’s a ton of grease pooling in the pan, drain most of it. Leave a little for flavor though.
Toss in your diced onion and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring pretty often, until they’re soft.
Now dump in everything else except the spinach – rice, beans, tomatoes with their juice, all the seasonings, and the water. Stir it all together.
Turn the heat down to medium, put a lid on it, and let it simmer. Set a timer for 40 minutes. Stir it every 10 minutes or so to make sure the bottom doesn’t stick.
After 40 minutes, check the rice. Should be almost done and most of the water should be gone. If there’s still a lot of liquid, keep cooking uncovered for a few more minutes.
Start adding handfuls of spinach, stirring it in until it wilts down. Keep doing this until all the spinach is in there.
Put the lid back on for another 2-5 minutes until the rice is completely tender.
Take it off the heat and serve it up.
What I’ve Learned
Don’t use a small pan. I tried this in a regular-sized skillet once and stuff was overflowing everywhere. Need a big one.
Brown rice takes time. Can’t rush it. If you try to cook it over higher heat to speed things up, the bottom burns before the rice cooks through.
Stir occasionally. Not constantly, but every 10 minutes or so. Keeps things from sticking.
The spinach wilts down dramatically. Looks like way too much when you start adding it but it shrinks to basically nothing.
Drain that grease. Italian sausage can be really greasy depending on what brand you get. If there’s a lot, pour most of it off before adding the vegetables.
Ways to Switch It Up
I usually make it the same way but there’s room to change things.
Want it less spicy? Use sweet Italian sausage instead. Still tastes great, just milder.
Could use white rice if that’s what you have. Use 3½ cups of water instead and check it after 20 minutes.
Make it cheesy by stirring in a cup of mozzarella at the end or sprinkling parmesan on top when serving.
No spinach? Skip it or use kale instead. Kale takes longer to cook so add it earlier.
My neighbor adds a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end. Says it brightens everything up. Haven’t tried it but probably good.
Serving This
I usually just scoop it straight from the pan onto plates. It’s a complete meal already – protein, carbs, vegetables all in one.
But if you want sides:
- Garlic bread for soaking up the tomato-y juices
- Simple green salad
- Steamed broccoli or green beans
- Crusty Italian bread
We usually just eat it as-is though. It’s filling enough on its own.
Some people sprinkle extra parmesan on top. Some add hot sauce. Do whatever makes you happy.
Leftover Life
This is one of those meals that’s almost better the second day. All the flavors get more intense after sitting overnight.
Keeps in the fridge for about 4 days in a covered container. I portion it out into individual containers for easy lunches.
Reheats perfectly in the microwave. About 2 minutes on high, stir, then another minute if needed. Add a tiny splash of water if it seems dry.
You can freeze it too. Good for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat.
When to Make This
Perfect for:
- Busy weeknights when you need something easy
- Meal prep Sundays
- Using up vegetables that are about to go bad
- Feeding a bunch of people without much effort
- When you’re sick of chicken
Not ideal for:
- When you’re in a huge rush (takes almost an hour start to finish)
- Hot summer days when you don’t want the stove on for long
Why We Keep Making It
It’s reliable. Never had it turn out badly. Even when I’ve forgotten about it and let it cook a few extra minutes, still fine.
Uses mostly pantry staples so it’s easy to have the ingredients on hand. Just need to grab sausage and spinach.
And everyone eats it. My picky 8-year-old asks for it by name now. That alone makes it a winner in my book.
Try it next time you need an easy dinner that actually tastes good. You’ll probably end up making it on repeat like we do.
