Easy Sausage with Rice Casserole Recipe
This Sausage with Rice Casserole is the kind of recipe that becomes a family staple after the very first time you make it. It goes by the name St. Paul's Rice, and it's a vintage community-cookbook gem that uses Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup Mix as its secret flavor base. No canned cream soups, no fussy steps — just simple, satisfying ingredients that bake into something truly special. It comes together in about an hour and feeds a crowd, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil, divided
- ½ cup Long-grain white rice
- 8.4 ounces Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup Mix, 2 packages
- 5 cups Water
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 Green bell pepper, diced
- 1 Celery stalk, diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt, omit if using seasoned pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon Seasoning salt, omit if using seasoned pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the oil and set aside.
- Add the rice, Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup Mix, and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is tender.
- While the rice simmers, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the pork sausage to the skillet and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks, until the sausage is browned and cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked sausage to the prepared baking dish.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet if the pan is dry after removing the sausage.
- Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the skillet.
- Sprinkle the salt, seasoning salt, dried oregano, and black pepper over the vegetables.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onions are translucent.
- Transfer the vegetable mixture to the baking dish with the sausage.
- Add the cooked rice mixture to the baking dish and stir until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Spread the mixture into an even layer in the baking dish and bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top is lightly browned and the casserole is heated through.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Christina's Notes
- Season carefully: If your pork sausage is pre-seasoned, skip the salt and seasoning salt to avoid an overly salty casserole.
- Bake uncovered: Leaving the dish uncovered the entire time gives you that lightly browned, slightly crispy top layer.
- Check your rice: Make sure the liquid is fully absorbed before you pull the rice off the heat — undercooked rice won't finish in the oven.
- Rest before serving: Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes after baking so it firms up and serves cleanly.
- Store it right: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze the unbaked assembled casserole for up to 2 months.
MY NOTES
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Recipe compliments of www.ITISAKEEPER.com