This Easy Sausage and Rice Casserole is an old-fashioned supper recipe that will quickly become a family favorite. It’s full of flavor, is easy to prepare, and can serve as an entree or as a side dish!
Comfort food casseroles are a huge part of southern cooking. They make up the bulk of dishes served at every family reunion, church potluck, and friends’ get-together throughout the southern states.
If you can name it, we probably have a casserole made with it. Chicken? Yep. Beef? You bet. And tuna, and turkey, and potatoes, and squash. As I said – you name it!
This Easy Sausage and Rice Casserole recipe (sometimes called Rice Dressing) has been around for a very long time. It’s one that I know I can throw together when I don’t have anything else planned, and I need to get dinner ready quickly.
This casserole’s combination of breakfast sausage, rice, and the classic pairing of celery, onions, and bell pepper makes for a tasty treat your family will really enjoy!
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Southern, Vintage
Cooking Method: Stovetop/Oven
Total Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Servings: 6
Primary Ingredient(s): Bulk sausage, celery, onion, bell pepper, chicken broth, cream of celery soup, rice
Skill Level: Easy
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- This is a true one-dish wonder, with everything baking together in a single pan for easy prep and cleanup.
- You can make it ahead of time and bake it later.
- It’s classic cozy comfort food that hits the spot any time of year.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“My mom made a similar dish when I was a kid. I was craving it tonight and found this recipe. So good!! And so easy to make.”
— Kacy
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 194 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
Ingredient Notes
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- Bulk Sausage – Bulk sausage is also called breakfast sausage. It’s fresh, not smoked, and comes in bulk rather than in casings. I recommend Jimmy Dean brand simply because it’s my favorite. You can choose mild, medium, or hot according to your family’s preferences.
- Celery, Onion, Bell Pepper, and Garlic – The flavoring basis of many southern recipes. The combination works wonders to enhance even the simplest of recipes.
- Butter – For sautéing the vegetables and adding an underlying richness to the casserole.
- Chicken Broth — If you have homemade chicken broth it’s the best. Otherwise, canned is fine.
- Cream of Celery Soup – Where would we be without canned cream soups? Of course, if you’d rather make a bechamel sauce from scratch, feel free.
- Rice – You’ll use uncooked rice for this recipe. I prefer long grain white rice. Don’t use a quick-cooking or “minute” rice. I haven’t tested the recipe with other types of rice, such as brown rice or wild rice.
- Red Pepper Flakes, Dried Parsley, Salt, and Black Pepper – The seasonings I prefer for the casserole. Adjust according to your own tastes.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Sausage and Rice Casserole
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13 casserole dish or give it a good spray with nonstick cooking spray. Chop all the veggies and set them aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumble the sausage and cook it until nicely browned. Drain off any extra fat and set the sausage aside for now.
- Using the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until everything is tender and fragrant.
- While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together the chicken broth and cream of celery soup in a medium bowl.
- Once the vegetables are soft, return the cooked sausage to the skillet and stir everything together.
- Add the uncooked rice, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and pepper to the pan. Give it a good stir to distribute the seasonings.
- Pour in the broth and soup mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
- Transfer the whole mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover it tightly with foil.
👉 PRO TIP: Be sure to secure the foil tightly to the dish so that as much moisture as possible stays inside the dish during cooking.
- Bake for one hour. At the end of the cooking time, remove the dish from the oven and let it sit, still covered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the foil and fluff the casserole with a fork before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Take the time to sauté the vegetables before adding them to the casserole mixture. This will ensure they’re tender in the final dish.
- Check to make sure the rice is done before serving. If it still seems a bit firm, cover the dish with foil and let it sit for a few extra minutes after baking to steam through.
- Let it rest before serving. Giving the casserole 5 to 10 minutes to settle after baking helps the flavors meld and makes it easier to serve.
Recipe Variations to Try
- Make it into a cheesy sausage and rice casserole by stirring in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.
- Make your casserole both creamy and cheesy by adding 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese when you add in the rice. Stir together really well to distribute the cheese.
- For color, top with finely chopped green onions.
- Substitute turkey sausage for the pork sausage.
How to Serve Sausage and Rice Casserole
This recipe works as either the main or a side dish. To serve as the main dish, I usually pair it with a simple tossed salad with a nice vinaigrette dressing and dinner rolls with butter. As a side dish, it goes well with anything from roasted chicken to pork chops to a perfectly grilled steak. It’s also great as a side dish for a southern comfort food meal with country fried steak or fried chicken, green beans, and honey wheat bread.
Storing Leftovers
To store leftovers, remove them from the baking pan or dish and place them in an airtight refrigerator storage container. May be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days.
To reheat leftovers, transfer to a microwave-safe dish, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth, cover, and microwave in one-minute increments, stirring after each, until heated through.
To freeze, transfer the leftover casserole to an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to three months. To reheat, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and follow instructions for microwave reheating.
Questions About Sausage and Rice Casserole
You can make this into a sausage and brown rice casserole by substituting three cups of cooked brown rice for the raw white rice and reducing the amount of chicken broth to 1 cup.
Although the recipe does use “breakfast sausage,” it’s generally not considered a breakfast recipe. I’d place this one firmly in the dinner/supper category.
You can use almost any ground meat you like to make this recipe – ground beef, chicken, turkey, or venison. Just be aware that those meats will not contain the seasonings that sausage contains. Your final result will be different but still tasty.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Recipe
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Easy Sausage and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk sausage
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 15 ounces canned chicken broth
- 10.5 ounces cream of celery soup
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter or spray a 9×13 casserole dish or baking pan. Chop the vegetables and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the sausage breaking it apart, until crumbly and browned. Drain and discard any excess fat from the sausage and set the sausage aside.1 pound bulk sausage
- In the same pan, cook the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic with butter until tender.1 rib celery, 1 medium onion, ½ green bell pepper, 1 clove garlic, 4 tablespoons butter
- While the vegetables cook, in a medium bowl, whisk together the broth and soup.15 ounces canned chicken broth, 10.5 ounces cream of celery soup
- When the vegetables are tender, return the sausage to the pan with the cooked vegetables.
- Add the rice, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and pepper.1 teaspoon dried parsley, Pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
- Stir in the broth-soup mixture making sure everything is well combined.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes without removing the foil.
- Uncover and fluff the rice-sausage mixture with a fork before serving.
Notes
- Be sure to secure the foil tightly to the dish so that as much moisture as possible stays inside the dish during cooking.
- To store leftovers, remove from the baking pan or dish and place in an airtight refrigerator storage container. May be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days.
- To reheat leftovers, transfer to a microwave-safe dish, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth, cover, and microwave in one-minute increments, stirring after each, until heated through.
- To freeze, transfer the leftover casserole to an airtight freezer container and freeze for up to three months. To reheat, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and follow instructions for microwave reheating.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
This post was originally published on May 16, 2022. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
I made this exactly as written. I had half head of a small cabbage that needed to be cooked. I shredded the cabbage and put it raw in my prepared dish. Next, I followed the recipe pouring the mixture over the cabbage. Also, I put some shredded cheddar cheese on the top and then baked for an hour. I trmoved the foil and let it bake another five mins in order to brown the cheese. Cabbage and cheese has always been a staple in my kitchen. I find cabbage to be versatile and it really likes sausage.
Made this for the first time.
I’ve never had this kind of dish before but gave it a try and it was so good! Both my kids and husband love it, I will be bringing this dish to my kid’s school potluck party next week! Thank you for the awesome recipe it was very comforting!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed the recipe, Lina! Hope it also goes over well at the school party.
My mom made a similar dish when I was a kid. I was craving it tonight and found this recipe. So good!! And so easy to make.
I’m so glad you found a recipe similar to your mom’s and that you enjoyed it so much!
Super simple and super easy to make. I did this just for myself for meal prep for the next 2 weeks and this will be one of the meals I’ll be eating. it’s super delicious
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the recipe! I agree that it’s great for meal prep. It can easily be portioned into servings and frozen for later.
I want to know if this recipe can be prepared and cooked the next day?
It would be best to cook the casserole one day and reheat it the next. Uncooked rice doesn’t hold well in a moist mixture.
My mother, feeding 8, served this as a main dish , using ground beef in lieu of sausage. We called it “dirty rice” and loved it!! Thank you.
Yes, we enjoy it with ground beef as well. Great recipe for feeding a crowd!
This is excellent. So easy and a delicious comfort food. I didn’t have cream of celery on hand so I used cream of onion and it worked well. I also added cream cheese as a variation you suggested. I really like it extra creamy. So good and very flavorful. Perfect weeknight dinner for hungry teens!
Yes, this is an easy recipe to tweak according to what you have on hand and what your family likes. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it!
This made the best stuffed peppers ever!!! I had to buy a large amount of bell peppers and didn’t know what to do with them. So I used this recipe to stuff and bake them. 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cheese on top. Yum!
I’m glad that worked out for you!
My Mimi used to make this, it’s awesome yummy comfort food!
I hope you’ll make it for yourself, Kim!