Dirty Rice Casserole

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Dirty Rice Casserole

This easy Dirty Rice Casserole is the perfect side dish or meal! Made with ground beef, pork, vegetables, rice, and a great mix of seasonings, it's loaded with flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Southern

Keyword: dirty rice, dirty rice casserole, dirty rice casserole recipe

Servings: to 8 as a side

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 medium green bell pepper , seeded and diced
1 medium yellow onion , diced
2 stalks celery , diced
2 cloves garlic , minced
2 cups dry long grain white rice
4 & 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cajun spice
salt and black pepper , to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and ground pork, breaking it up into tiny crumbles, until browned and no pink remains. Drain excess fat and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
In the same skillet, add the bell pepper, onion, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Stir in the rice, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and thyme. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the rice and vegetable mixture to the prepared baking dish with the cooked meat.
Pour the chicken broth over the meat and rice/vegetable mixture. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, stir, and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Once done, remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Use a different protein. Substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner option. Ground lamb or additional ground beef/turkey/chicken can be used in place of the pork, if preferred.

Swap the broth. Vegetable broth or beef broth can be used instead of chicken broth depending on what you have on hand or your flavor preference.

Try a different rice. We prefer long-grain white rice for its fluffy texture and ability to not clump together. However, you can use basmati or jasmine rice for a similar result. Brown rice or wild rice can be used, but note that you might need to adjust the amount of liquid and cooking times since these varieties take longer to cook. Also note that wild rice will be chewier.

Nutrition