Louisiana-style Breakfast Rice Recipe

About the recipe

Louisiana-style Breakfast Rice is sort of like Spanish paella, and it makes for an excellent brunch dish or even a main course.

Southern Kitchen did little to alter this dish, other than to use fresh herbs in place of some of the dried ones and cutting back on the fat. She found it delicious but warns that it is mighty hearty and spicy, especially first thing in the morning. "It reminds me of Spanish paella, ” she says. “I think it would make an excellent brunch dish or even a main course.”

Recipe courtesy of Ollie Mae Goler.

Serves: 10

Hands On Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound smoked sausage such as kielbasa, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

3 green onions, white and most of the dark green, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 teaspoon ground paprika

4 leaves fresh basil, very finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 leaves fresh sage, very finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried, or to taste)

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (or 1 teaspoon dried, or to taste)

4 cups cooked white rice

3/4 cup tomato sauce

Tabasco (optional)

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until the fat is rendered and the edges of the sausage are crisp and dark brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a warm plate and keep warm. If not much fat has rendered, add canola oil; if there is 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat from the sausage, simply proceed with recipe.

Add the celery, green onion, onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.

Add the parsley, paprika, basil, sage, thyme, rice and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. If too dry, add 1/4 cup of water and stir until moistened and well-combined.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the rice is heated through. After the rice has heated through, return the browned sausage to the mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.