A 30-minute meal with hearty sausage cooked with rice, tomatoes and Italian spices finished with fresh spinach and parmesan cheese.
JUMP TO RECIPEOne of my very favorite recipes is one that surprises a lot of people. I guess because it's not "southern" food but here's the thing about us Southerners... we don't just eat fried chicken and biscuits!
The dish I'm talking about is Mediterranean Chickpea Rice. It's a one-pan wonder with rice and garbanzo beans cooked with bacon, tomatoes, Mediterranean herbs and spices and I could eat it by the bucket!
I love it so much I decided to make a similar recipe with Italian sausage and spinach! I left out the chickpeas, changed up the spices and hit it with some freshly grated parmesan at the end and it is spectacular!
It makes sense to me that I would like both of these recipes because they have one major thing in common with my favorite kind of food: RICE!
I've said this before, but my neck of the South leans toward the Lowcountry (the area roughly between and around Charleston and Savannah) so we eat a ton of rice. Way more so than potatoes or pasta.
Both this recipe and the Mediterranean version are cooked much like some of our Southern favorites like Dirty Rice and Red Rice. The flavors are different but they all start with seasoned meat that produces a lot of pan drippings and aromatics like celery, onions and garlic.
A FEW COOKING NOTES:
- Use fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped fresh spinach, or frozen chopped spinach (or you can leave it out all together).
- Fresh kale can used in place of spinach if you prefer.
- I almost always use hot Italian sausage but mild is great too. I've never tried this with sweet Italian sausage as I think the flavors may not play well together.
- It's important to leave the lid on tight while cooking to ensure the rice cooks properly. If things look a little dry 15 minutes in, stir in 1/2 cup water.
MORE MAIN DISH RICE RECIPES TO TRY
CHARLESTON RED RICE - A Lowcountry recipe made from rice cooked with bacon and a tomato broth seasoned with peppers and onions perfected by the Gullah and Geechee.
BETTER-THAN-BOJANGLES DIRTY RICE - A copycat recipe for Bojangles iconic Cajun dirty rice, made with sausage and a favorite throughout the Southeast.
MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA RICE - A hearty rice recipe with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) flavored with bacon, tomatoes, onion and garlic perfect served on the side or as a main dish that easily converts to a meatless meal.
CAROLINA CHICKEN BOG - A one-pot recipe of rice, chicken and smoked sausage cooked in a flavorful stock made from slow-cooked chicken.
HIBACHI CHICKEN & RICE SKILLET MEAL - A one-pan family-sized meal with hibachi chicken and rice that uses everyday ingredients and way less expensive than take-out hibachi bowls.
Recipe for Italian Sausage Rice Skillet Meal
Italian Sausage & Rice Skillet Meal
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs Italian Sausage
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup extra long-grain white rice
- 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups spinach (see notes)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Remove casings from sausage (if applicable) then add to a wide, shallow pan or large skillet (choose a pan that has a tight-fitting lid). Add onions then cook over medium-high heat, breaking up sausage while cooking. Cook until sausage is nicely browned and cooked through. 1.25 lbs sausage, 1 onion, chopped
- Add garlic then continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- Add rice, tomatoes (undrained – with juice), broth, salt, pepper and oregano. Increase heat to high then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 1 c. rice, 1 can tomatoes, 2 c. broth, 1 tsp each salt, pepper and oregano
- Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid then cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done. Stir once or twice with a fork to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom.
- Stir in spinach. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top then cover with lid and allow dish to rest 5-10 minutes before serving. 2 c. spinach, 1/2 c. parmesan
Notes
- Use fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped fresh spinach, or frozen chopped spinach (or you can leave it out all together).
- Fresh kale can used in place of spinach if you prefer.
- I almost always use hot Italian sausage but mild is great too. I've never tried this with sweet Italian sausage as I think the flavors may not play well together.
- It's important to leave the lid on tight while cooking to ensure the rice cooks properly. If things look a little dry 15 minutes in, stir in 1/2 cup water.
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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.
I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).
And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy