Sausage Rice Casserole Recipe • 5★ • 1 hr 30 min

Updated November 25, 2025

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Flavor-packed country-style sausage and the holy trinity that is onion, bell pepper and celery, cozy up with rice and chicken stock to create a casserole that offers a big flavor payoff with minimal effort. Though the ingredients are simple, cooking everything in one skillet is key to building flavor. The stock is made silkier by the fat from the sausage as well as the starch from the uncooked rice, and nutmeg adds depth without overpowering the other seasonings. This casserole is also highly customizable. Consider swapping the pork sausage for chicken sausage or chorizo or even adding grated Cheddar to broil on top.

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1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 pounds country-style pork sausage

1 yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cups long-grain rice (uncooked)

3½ cups chicken stock

Step 1Arrange one rack in the middle of the oven and another rack 6 inches from the heat source. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter, then set aside.

Arrange one rack in the middle of the oven and another rack 6 inches from the heat source. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter, then set aside.

Step 2Add the sausage to a large skillet, ideally 12 inches, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to break up and stir the meat, until it’s completely cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Push the sausage to one side of the pan, then add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the other side. Let the veggies sit, untouched, for 2 minutes as they release their liquid, which will help the browned bits soften and release. Stir the meat and vegetables together and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Add the sausage to a large skillet, ideally 12 inches, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to break up and stir the meat, until it’s completely cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Push the sausage to one side of the pan, then add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the other side. Let the veggies sit, untouched, for 2 minutes as they release their liquid, which will help the browned bits soften and release. Stir the meat and vegetables together and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Step 3Reduce the heat to medium, then add the salt, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg and crushed red pepper. Transfer the contents of the skillet into the baking dish. Sprinkle the rice evenly across the dish, then pour in the chicken stock. Use a whisk or wooden spoon to stir until evenly distributed. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour.

Reduce the heat to medium, then add the salt, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg and crushed red pepper. Transfer the contents of the skillet into the baking dish. Sprinkle the rice evenly across the dish, then pour in the chicken stock. Use a whisk or wooden spoon to stir until evenly distributed. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour.

Step 4After an hour has passed, take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. The rice should be tender with little to no liquid left. Broil the casserole for 2 to 3 minutes, until the top crisps up. Let the casserole rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

After an hour has passed, take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. The rice should be tender with little to no liquid left. Broil the casserole for 2 to 3 minutes, until the top crisps up. Let the casserole rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Could make this with Mexican chorizo. Sub red for green bell pepper. Add corn. Use Mexican spices, chili powder, cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano. Cinnamon instead of nutmeg, or heck, use them both. And on and on…

@Bruce I just read the whole recipe. In the chefs recipe review it states: “The stock is made silkier by the fat from the sausage as well as the starch from the uncooked rice” - that’s a great descriptor ‘silkier’ & is why I’d up the butter & add a smidge of olive oil to the stock. It even says feel free to swap pork for chicken or chorizo or even add grated cheddar to broil on top. Yum!

No. I just tried it with long grain brown rice and an hour is not enough. It appears that long grain brown rice takes double the amount of cooking time.

Made as directed, and it was a hit. A few notes: 1) I reflexively washed the rice before mixing it in. I’m not sure it made a difference, but I realized that’s assumed for Asian cooking and I’m not sure if I was supposed to here. 2) At the one hour mark, I checked it, and some of the rice still looked raw on the inside (i.e. white and opaque), so I stirred it all up, re-covered it and sent it back for 5 mins. Between the extra 5, broiling, and resting for 5, all the rice came out great. 3) The only minor change was broiling some shredded cheddar over one half, which some of us loved and others thought was fine. 3) I served this with petite green peas, and we all ended up mixing the peas in with the bake. The sweetness of the peas helped cut through the richness of the bake. Would absolutely do that again.

This was delicious and makes a good amount. After a few days of eating it as the recipe calls for we took our leftovers on Saturday morning, scrambled up some eggs, added cheese, and turned it into a breakfast casserole for the last meal. We’ll definitely make it again

Has anyone frozen this? Would it be better to do before or after cooking?

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/763585545-sausage-rice-casserole