Savannah Red Rice

 


I made this after watching Paula Deen make it in a video. It was so good, we loved it and served it with Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes and crusty bread. Yes, mashed potatoes, don't judge :-) Corn would be good with this, too. The mashed potatoes just works with this recipe, just do it!  Very similar to jambalaya without all the creole seasoning, I like it better than jambalaya. The onion and pepper season it really well.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped onion - I used a large onion
  • 1 cup chopped bell pepper - I used a whole yellow pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup diced smoked sausage - I used 1/2 lb. of garlic kielbasa, cut a thick piece, then cut the piece into 4ths
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can with juice crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce - I used Franks. Don't cut back on the hot sauce, this was just the perfect amount, it wasn't hot, just a little spicy. If you like more heat, just serve hot sauce at the table.
  • 1 small 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup water - next time I will use 1-1/8 cup water because my 8 oz. of tomato sauce didn't measure quite a full cup
  • 1 Tablespoon Chicken Better than Bouillon
  • salt to taste, I didn't add much
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 cup uncooked Instant Rice
Steps
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion and bell pepper in butter. Add sausage; heat until mixture is slightly browned. Add tomatoes, hot sauce, tomato sauce, water and bouillon cubes. Season with pepper and salt as needed. Stir in rice. Pour mixture into a greased 9x 12 casserole and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Notes
  • Use Instant Rice instead of long grain rice because there were issues with it cooking in 45 minutes. The Instant Rice works fine, it doesn't taste overcooked or gummy