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This quick and easy Dirty Rice recipe makes a filling side dish or it can be served as a main dish too!
This Dirty Rice recipe was originally posted on Dine & Dish October 2010. Photos and some text were updated April 2021.
I have a confession to make. Let me tell ‘ya…if I didn’t get kicked out of the food blogging world for the post about blogging success that I wrote yesterday, I’m sure this revelation will be what does it. I have a very, very difficult time with side dishes for our family dinners. In fact, Zataran’s, Uncle Ben, Betty Crocker…if we are going to have a side in addition to fresh fruit, veggies, and salad or some kind of potato, it comes from a package. Pre-packaged side dishes are what save my dinners when I need more substance on the table!
I’m trying to do better. I really am. But, the more I research side dishes the more confused I get!
For example, I came across this Dirty Rice Recipe over on one of my favorite blogs, Karen Bove’s Our Life in the Kitchen (Karen’s site has since gone away…sadface). Dirty Rice is like a side dish, but it has ground beef in it. So, is it a side dish or a main course or what? I’m so confused! I think the fact that it is versatile might be what makes me love it so much. But it still confuses the heck out of me.
We used this dirty rice recipe as a main dish and served it with a salad and fresh fruit. I also set out some tortillas on the table. I’m pretty sure this is not what dirty rice was intended for, but it made for some really tasty tortilla filling! Dirty rice tacos, anyone?
If you feel like taking pity on me and giving me some good ideas for side dishes with dinner, I’d certainly appreciate it. Otherwise, you can find me over on ousted food bloggers’ island. I’ll be the one with alllll the boxed side dish mixes.
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Quick and Dirty Rice
This Quick and Dirty Rice recipe is a classic Cajun dish that makes a great side dish or main dish!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword Cajun, side dish, Spicy
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Equipment
stock pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeds removed and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can black beans do not drain
- 3 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 cups white rice not instant
- 5 cups beef stock / broth
Instructions
Heat a medium stock pot over medium heat and add the ground beef and crumble.Cook until browned, approximately 8 minutes.
Stir the diced vegetables into the beef and cook until they start to get tender, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the creole seasoning, thyme and bay leaves. Add the black beans, broth, and rice. Stir together and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat (approximately 5 minutes).
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook undisturbed until the rice is done, for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Serve and enjoy.
What to Serve with this Dirty Rice Recipe:
- Cajun Chicken Thighs
- Roasted Green Beans
- Simple Roasted Vegetables
- Beer Bread
Reader Interactions
Comments
Oh yum! I love dirty rice, boxed or not.
If you’re ousted, then I’m ousted. We can be the ousted club.
Rene says I actually made a side dish tonight that is super simple: saute onions and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper. Once the onions are translucent add in some spinach and kill the heat! Yum!
Rice with corn and carrots with a jar of pace salsa thrown in is also one of my favorite side dishes 🙂
- Amber says
LOL Kristen, you crack me up. Well, if you’re exiled, so am I. I use jarred pasta sauce, uncle ben’s basmati rice to go with my curry – and that comes from slouch too.
I have, however, perfected Mexican rice (the secret is chicken and tomato bouillion in the cooking water with garlic and cumin), refried beans are better if you add a little butter and milk to them from the can, and I’ve figured out how to make Pam’s shells and cheese into a side dish size. I love that you confessed this!
- Erica Iversen says
Tell me more about this rice!!!
I will FOR SURE be joining you on that island! However, I think the more important thing is that your cooking for your family and that your all eating together. And I think the dirty rice in tortillas sounds yummy! I for one am a huge fan of dirty rice…I wont say who, but someone I know might also have been a fan of rice a roni in tortillas in their college days….
OK – if the food blogger world didn’t question why I’m here before, they sure do now!
Hugs!
- Amber says
Pouch, not slouch! Stupid iPhone.
This made me laugh…we are all there plenty!
Growing up I always had my own personal side of raw veggies…my 99 yr old grandmom still puts them out for me (even though I now will eat cooked veggies lol). I do the same for my children a couple times a week.
One thing I have always done is TNFT – Try New Food Tuesday (I had it on my son’s “to do” chart for the week), and since my oldest was 2 every Tuesday we try something new…so maybe begin once a week adding in a side you have never tried before for your family meal…let the kids help choose the featured item…maybe that will help 🙂- Karly says
I’ll join you on the island with my box of brownie mix. 😉
Your dirty rice looks yummy!
- Pat Wogan says
You foodies crack me up! What’s wrong with using new technology (boxes) in cooking……after all, your blogging is a new technology, too, isn’t it? Back in the day, Mama beat the egg whites for angel food cake by hand using a wisk. I don’t think her angel food cake was any better than mine. I used an electric mixer. Does that make me a bad cook…I don’t think so. She also churned her own butter, but only because she had to use up the cream from the cows she milked every day. I buy my milk and butter at the store. Would Julia Child frown about that? I don’t think so. I am glad there are so many food bloggers out there who are bringing attention to good nutrition. Go for it, people. Box or pouch or from scratch, you are doing a great job!
I struggle too which is why lately I’ve been making a lot of one pot dinners or pastas with lots of veggies and protein. Side dish vegetables are easier for me than side dish carbs/starches. I gotta get creative with some easy rice or potato dishes. Tonight we had a layered lasagna casserole (but with bowtie). I put a bunch of extra vegetables in the sauce and then we had roasted broccoli on the side. Would have been great with some garlic bread but I didn’t have the energy for that.
Sometimes I have the opposite problem: I’ve got 2 or 3 side dishes, but nothing sounds good for the main course (not big on meat dishes 5-7 nights a week)! Dirty rice is always a keeper though—you could have stuffed some peppers with this (or those little 8-ball squash) & called it a night!
- Alison Moore Smith says
I’ve never had dirty rice, but we love rice and beans and black beans in anything. Love to try this! (Mostly because it looks easy, I admit.)
- Kathy - Panini Happy says
I am notoriously simple with my side dishes. Most of my focus goes to the main, so unless it’s thanksgiving my sides are pretty one-step (I can’t even bear to make salads – too much work!). My standbys include: steamed broccoli (just have to cut the florets), red potatoes roasted with salt, pepper, olive oil and dried rosemary at 400F for about 35-40 min, wild rice cooked in chicken broth with dried cranberries mixed in, couscous.
- Dinetonite says
My family always makes candied yams for Thanksgiving but maybe I can convince them to try your squash this year 🙂
- Jessica @ How Sweet says
I have very tough time with side dishes too! My husband always needs one and I can never come up with one. This rice looks delicious!
- patsyk says
I think I’d be kicked off to the ousted food blogger island as well… and I’d be happy to be hanging with you! Side dishes are tough… and sometimes you spend so much time doing a from-scratch main dish you have to take a short-cut here and there to make a complete meal. It’s all good in the end if the family is fed!
- Maria says
Ha! Walter Dan is all about the box mixes sometimes:) Love your photos! Nice work!
- PatW says
I saute some onion in olive oil, add rice– amounts vary according to the number of people, add an appropriate amount of water and an equally variable dollop of beef Better Than Boullion, and some chopped cilantro if I’m feeling very dashing. Cook the lot until most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in whichever salsa you prefer in any amount that tastes good to you, and you have a very nice faux Spanish rice.
As most medieval recipes say: “Serve it forth!”
- Kate @ Savour Fare says
This seems like a perfectly reasonable tortilla filling to me. I feel lucky if I get veggies on the table, let alone a starch. I often rely on that old saw, “Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread.’. In the summer, though, I always like corn on the cob and tomato salad. I make a succotash that I always serve when I serve sausages. And if I want to go fancier, creamed spinach or my fave butternut squash gratin.
- FoodontheTable says
I think I might be on the boxed side island with ya… who doesn’t love some Far East Couscous? I’ll admit it.
- Chocolate Shavings says
Looks like the perfect side dish to me, and I love the photos!
- DessertForTwo says
Awww! We’re not going to oust you from the blogging world! We love ya! 🙂
I serve dirty rice with grilled hot links. Or sometimes, I sear a small pork chop and add it into the dirty rice as it cooks: meat + side dish in one!
- Wenderly says
You are not alone! Too make *boxed* sides all the time! LOVE dirty rice can’t wait to try it!
- aliesha howell says
sometimes the flavor from the boxed mixes is something you can’t duplicate from scratch. everybody can’t get lucky ^_^ so i don’t blame you. if your ousted, i’ll visit & we can make zataran’s lol
I was just telling my husband YESTERDAY about how much I LOVE dirty rice. Guess what will be on our menu next week?!?
PS…my side dishes mainly consist of carrots. Raw carrots. From the bag. When I’m feeling really gourmet…I add frozen corn to Mahatma Spanish Rice. See ya on the “ousted” aisle.
- Chez Us says
Oh, I have never had dirty rice but definitely want to try it now. Sounds delicious – boxed or not!
- Chez Us says
ps…. during the winter I like to roast veggies, make big salads out of winter greens with fruit tossed in, baked gratins, etc…
- Nancy@acommunaltable says
Well, if you are ousted I won’t be far behind… I know people are up in arms over “processed” foods but in moderation there is nothing wrong with them at all and in fact there is a lot” right” !! During the week I do a lot of one dish dinners, so everything is combined but when that isn’t on the menu, my simple sides are rice (do in the oven with onions, fresh herbs and a little veg or chicken stock), couscous (stock w/ a little lemon juice and herbs/raisins and nuts), quinoa (see couscous!) quick cooking barley (awesome with a little stock and sauteed mushrooms and onions!) and of course, roasted potatoes!!!!
- Laurie London says
You’re so funny! I’m not a food blogger (just an eater and a preparer), but I’ll hang out in the ousted aisle with you too. This recipe sounds great to me!
Side dish ideas? One of my family’s favorite side dishes this time of year (well, any time, but they’re cheaper now) is steamed artichokes. We all get our own. They’re easy to make and fun to eat.
- Joanne says
I will not let ANYONE kick you out of bloggerville. Sometimes you do what you gotta do. And sometimes that involves a box of Rice-A-Roni.
This dirty rice sounds delicious! I’m always confused about side dishes that have meat in them as well. Weird.
Looks like we’re going to all have one big party on the Island of Ousted Food Bloggers! Honey, I use boxed side dishes all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook, but not every dish from scratch for every meal for goodness sakes! I have no problem whatsoever with taking a little help from a boxed mix or frozen prepared side dish.
We love dirty rice but I’ve never had a really good recipe for it. Can’t wait to give yours a try!
- Lynda says
When my kids were little, I used lots of mixes for side dishes. After all, you do what ya gotta do to get a meal on the table when life is so busy. I still have to buy Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice-love it.
Now, I make oven roasted potatoes and other veggies for sides, and some quick rice dishes that I throw together. And sometimes it’s a bag of salad with tomatoes. It should be easy, guilt free meals! - Audrey says
This looks delicious – thanks for sharing this! I am going to try this with collard greens and cornbread. Yum! You might enjoy a great cookbook I’ve been diving into lately called, “Let’s Cook Tonight,” by Gigi Centaro. Inside are tasty, foolproof recipes that are very easy to make. I love everything so far.
- barbara says
This is a staple in our house. We have it at least once a week. On the day before my treatment I cook up a pile of rice in my Thermomix and refrigerate it overnight. When I fry it up I usually add peas,red pepper, onion, tumeric, curry powder, sultanas and pinenuts. It gets me thru the first couple of days after treatment when I’m feeling tired and not in the mood for cooking.
- Tara says
Side dishes = my arch nemesis. I would rather focus on the main dish and serve it alongside steamed broccoli. And I rather enjoy Uncle Ben’s flavoured rices. 😉
- Katy says
I have a tough time with side dishes too. Quite often we either just don’t have one, or I fall back on frozen veggies. 🙂
- Amanda says
I’ll join you on that island Kristen, I use Uncle Ben’s 90 second rice all the time, and my favorite veggie side dishes are the Steamfresh vegetable packages. LOVE. We spend enough time on making the main dish, side dishes don’t have to be complicated. At least that’s my take on it. 🙂
- Monet says
Smile. I love your honesty…your blog is such a joy to read. This dirty rice looks delicious (and I would have served it as an entree too). I’m not good with side dishes, I usually bring the desserts…so I understand the difficulty! Thank you for the kind words on my blog…your thoughts are so appreciated!
- katie p says
lemme tell ya, this actually made me feel MUCH better reading that you sometimes go to the easy-peasy’s. i’m just starting to get my own personal food blog under way (a love in progress, lemme assure you)…annnd yeah. sometimes all i want to make is a main course. or a side. or a dessert. as much as i love cooking, i don’t want to spend 3 hours in the kitchen conducting a whole meal, especially when it’s usually only going to be me that sees/eats it. so yeah, if that island can hold one more, then i am SO on my way over. i’ll bring cake mixes and fresh market croissants for sammies.
oh and a side dish that i make that i think it easy and fast is just boiled carrots with a little butter and dill. i know it seems boring, but it’s quick and nommy. i’m also a slu*t for sauteed veggies. (yep, i buy those pre-mixed too. i just throw in a hunk of butter, some salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning and serve it up!)
- Susan @ SGCC says
Psst! Don’t tell anyone, but I have been known to serve Hamburger Helper from time to time. Looks like I’ll be on that ousted food bloggers island right along with you. 😉
- Pam says
Kristin, you crack me up! That’s great if you can put the main dish and the side dish together – it’s smart, healthy and fast! You’re smart, mom of four, and BUSY; it just makes sense. I’m going to try the recipe myself. As I’ve gotten older and wiser, I enjoy a dinner like this. You just need to get rid of all that noise in your head that says, meat, sides, veggies, salads, and then dessert. It’s made with love and will nourish your family. I love your blogs – you better not stop. 🙂
- zerrin says
This rice looks absolutely so appealing! I can eat a big bowl full of this no matter it is a main or side dish. I love that you used beef stock instead of water, it gives a perfect flavor to rice. As a side dish, I generally make pilaf with rice or bulgur(pounded wheat) with various ingredients. And this dirty rice will be a great change for me.
I have a terrible time with side dishes too!! I’m fine if its salad or potatoes, but when it comes to rice and interesting veggies I usually draw a blank. 🙁
I would go with full meal here too because of all that great protein. This is the perfect lunch or dinner. LOVE that you were all sassy in your BlogHer post, that is why I dig you 🙂 xo
- Barbara says
You’re not kicked out, kiddo…don’t worry.
LOVE dirty rice…any kind! - Amy Kempf says
Hmmm that looks really good!
Side dishes are hard! I do good to get a veggie on the table! - Deborah says
I totally struggle with side dishes. Almost every night. And yes, I too have many packaged ideas in the cupboards. (and I rely on frozen veggies a lot!) This rice sounds amazing, though – I’m pretty sure I could eat it as the main dish!
- Madelene Dae says
Thanks for that , useful stuff. I get bored of plain rice recipes but I’m not very skilled in the kitchen. There’s a lot of easy ideas at this rice recipes homepage I found that your readers might like too.
- mike cooney says
I am a pig…. dirty rice is really more a side . In the cajun world, cajun seasoned grilled chicken breast cut into halves goes well with green beans and garlic toast. my favorite though is a white meat / blackened and grilled seafood…mahi/ grouper/ take your pick…. even grilled shrimp with pineapple chunks is great. Again green beans of any variety is good on the side. what you have leftover from the dirty rice can be sauted in the morning and served with fried eggs………. as i said, i am a pig.
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kristen and Colleen , Amber Bracegirdle. Amber Bracegirdle said: RT @DineandDish: New Post: A little side dish confessional that is sure to get me ousted from the food blogger world (Recipe: Dirty Rice) http://su.pr/5Vl02j […]
[…] Side Dish or Main Dish Recipe Ideas Quick & Easy Dirty Rice | Dine … Stir in the creole seasoning, thyme and bay leaves Add the black beans then stir in the rice. Add the broth and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook undisturbed until the rice is done, about 25 minutes. Serve and enjoy! I put a bunch of extra vegetables in the sauce and then we had roasted broccoli on the side. Would have been great with some garlic bread but I didn't have the energy for that. Katie @ goodLife {eats}´s last blog . […]
[…] reaction was the sane reaction…”Ummm, Kristen, don’t you know how to cook? You do make your side dishes from a box most of the time, but the majority of your baked goods are from scratch. Seriously, you don’t need a box cake […]
[…] an even simpler cilantro version that is wonderful sprinkled over dirty rice. For the dirty rice, follow a recipe like this one from Dine and Dish or just mix together (gently with a fork) hot cooked rice, canned black beans (drained and then […]
[…] an even simpler cilantro version that is wonderful sprinkled over dirty rice. For the dirty rice, follow a recipe like this one from Dine and Dish or just mix together (gently with a fork) hot cooked rice, canned black beans (drained and then […]
[…] Quick and Easy Dirty Rice (pictured above) is a really great and easy side dish […]
