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This kielbasa and rice skillet is a recipe to make more often than you’d ever like to admit – because it’s just so easy and hardly ever gets any complaints. It’s one of those recipes you don’t have to think about, which is highly needed if your evenings revolve around homework and laundry.
What’s to love
- Smoky, hearty flavor – Bacon and sausage make the broth rich and cozy without being heavy. Carrots, potatoes, and beans add heartiness. This feels like stew-meets-campfire!
- Easy, one-skillet meal – No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps, just a comforting, flavor-packed meal you can throw together in 30 minutes after a long day!
- Flexible and forgiving – Add a splash of wine for depth, or skip it; thicken it or keep it brothy – it’s all good.
Bets of all, it’s a meal you can eat this all year long, whenever you need something cozy and filling that doesn’t destroy the kitchen!
Printable Recipe Card
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 1 pound smoked sausage (cut into ½ inch rounds)
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion (about ½ medium)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced (about ⅔ cup; you can also use green bell pepper if you prefer, or a mix!))
- 1 cup corn kernels (frozen, canned or fresh – anything goes!)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 2 cups instant rice
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Tips
- Use instant rice or swap for 1 cup parboiled (for parboiled, use 3 cups broth.)
- Brown sausage and soften veggies well for best flavor.
- Any smoked sausage works—use your favorite.
- Top with green onions or fresh herbs, if you like.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa, onion and pepper and cook until starting to brown.½ tablespoon oil, 1 pound smoked sausage, ½ cup chopped yellow onion, 1 medium red bell pepper
- Reduce heat to medium. Stir in corn, tomato paste, garlic powder and ground paprika and cook for one more minute.1 cup corn kernels, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- Stir through the rice, then mix in the broth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.2 cups instant rice, 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is done and sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped green onion or herbs, if you like.salt & pepper
Kielbasa and Rice Skillet
make your kitchen smell like home?Kielbasa and rice skillet questions, answered
Most smoked pork sausages works here – kielbasa, Polish sausage, even smoked turkey sausage if that’s what you like. I usually go for smoked kielbasa, because it’s what I grew up with and the flavor is unbeatable!
This is made with instant rice, which cooks quickly and helps make this a true one-pan meal. If you don’t have instant rice, you can substitute 1 to 1 ¼ cups parboiled rice and increase the broth to 3 cups. That swap works great, just simmer a little longer and stir now and then so it doesn’t stick!
Let your sausage, onion and peppers get nice and browned/softened before moving on – it adds SO much flavor and makes this skillet taste like it took way more effort than it did.
If you’re out of fresh herbs, a sprinkle of dried oregano in the cooking step is delicious. But when I have fresh oregano growing in the summer? It’s a must. In winter, I love green onions as a topping for that fresh, zippy kick!
Perfect to serve with
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Kira says
What a quick easy cozy meal to prep after work for my family. Very easy to follow and was done fast my 1 and 3 year old loved it
Kay says
My family loved this! I made it for a sleepover my kids friends were over to, and they all loved it! I used minute rice also, and it turned out good! I just simmered on medium-low for about 10 minutes and it was perfect