You'll love the flavor of this easy dinner recipe. Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice is a favorite family meal thanks to a zesty, melty cheddar sauce.
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When I plan ahead I don't mind spending some extra time on dinner, to make dishes like Slow Cooker Guinness Pot Roast or Chicken Pot Pies. However, there's always that one night that, despite my best intentions, I find I'm short of time to get dinner ready.
The tell-tale sign that I'm in trouble is when I catch my husband or one of the kids hanging out in front of the pantry—that's when I realize I have to get cooking!
This Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice is one of our family favorites, and a favorite of mine to make because it comes together so quickly.
What to expect from Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice
- Precooked smoked kielbasa sausage cooked in a skillet until hot and crisp
- Quick-cooking jasmine rice as the tender base for this recipe
- A creamy, spiced cheddar sauce with flavors of smoked paprika and garlic
- A sausage and rice recipe that comes together in just a little more than 30 minutes
Why you'll love this recipe
This sausage rice recipe is a great meal idea to have in your back pocket for busy nights, and the ingredients are easy to keep on hand. For example, I always keep jasmine rice in my pantry; it cooks up fluffy and tender in only fifteen minutes. Not only do we enjoy it in this Cheesy Sausage and Rice recipe, but it's perfect for Mexican Chicken with Peppers & Rice and Caprese Rice Salad with Bacon.
Kielbasa is my go-to for this recipe as its flavor pairs beautifully with the paprika-spiced cheddar cheese sauce. However, smoked sausage, andouille, and sausages made with turkey or beef would also work great in this skillet dinner.
Sausages like these can often be found on sale, so pick up extra and freeze them for future dinners.
Lastly, you'll love kielbasa with white rice and cheddar sauce because it's really tasty! It's a savory, comforting, and casual dinner dish that the whole family will dig into.
How do you cook kielbasa?
Because kielbasa is a precooked and smoked sausage, it just needs to be sliced up and cooked in a skillet for about ten minutes. I slice the meat on a diagonal to create large coins with lots of surface area for browning.
Other precooked sausages will work just as easily.
🔪 How to make this Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
- Jasmine Rice: My favorite rice because it cooks in only 15 minutes and tastes delicious
- Polska Kielbasa: Look for this precooked sausage in the meat section
- Cheddar Cheese: I like to use Cabot's Vermont Sharp
- Butter: Use unsalted butter in the roux for the cheese sauce
- Milk: This helps make a rich cheese sauce
- All-Purpose Flour: An ingredient in the roux, it helps thicken the cheese sauce
- Smoked Paprika: If you want the flavor to be less smoky, use regular paprika instead
- Garlic Powder: It gives even more flavor to the sauce
- Salt and Pepper: Just some pinches
- Sour Cream: A finishing touch for the creamy sauce
Step 1: Cook the rice
Prepare the jasmine rice based on the package directions and hold the cooked rice aside.
Step 2: Cook the kielbasa
Cook kielbasa slices over medium heat in a skillet until they're browned around the edges and hot.
Step 3: Make the cheddar sauce
Stir flour into hot, melted butter and seasonings to make an easy roux. Add in milk to make a thickened base before adding shredded cheddar cheese. It should melt to make a smooth sauce.
Step 4: Serve!
Place a serving of the kielbasa and rice on each plate and spoon cheddar sauce over the tops.
FAQs
Yes, any precooked sausage can be subbed in for the kielbasa—just remember that the sauce has a savory, smoky flavor when choosing your sausage.
This dinner is hearty and filling, so any sides can be light ones—such as a green salad or some fluffy Scallion Biscuits with butter!
Let any leftovers cool completely, then put them into a resealable container. Keep them in the fridge for up to four days. They can easily be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little splash of milk to loosen up the sauce.
This is one tasty dinner—cheesy, savory, and satisfying!
The recipe for Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice is below. And here are even more dinner ideas!
💬 Have you tried this kielbasa sausage recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Kielbasa and Rice
Ingredients
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 16 ounces polska kielbasa (or smoked sausage)
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1¼ cup 2% milk
- 1 cup shredded Vermont sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
Make the rice:
- Bring three cups of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Rinse the jasmine rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
- Once the water is boiling, add in the rinsed rice; stir the rice to distribute it through the water.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer the rice for 15 minutes until tender.
- (If you're making a different kind of rice, cook it according to the package directions.)
Prepare the kielbasa:
- Meanwhile, slice the kielbasa on the diagonal into thin, large slices.
- Heat the kielbasa slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the slices are sizzling and browned at the edges.
- Transfer the cooked kielbasa slices to a plate and hold them aside.
Make the sauce:
- Have the butter, flour, seasonings, milk, and cheese ready by the stove before starting.
- Add the butter to the hot skillet, and heat it over medium heat until melted.
- Quickly whisk in the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir this roux continuously over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Pour in the milk and whisk to combine it with the roux.
- Stir the mixture constantly as you bring it to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as the mixture begins to simmer and it just begins to thicken, remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in the shredded cheese until it is melted. Then stir in the sour cream.
Serve:
- Place portions of the rice and kielbasa on dinner plates, then spoon the cheddar sauce over the top. Serve them while they're hot!
- Makes 6 servings.
Notes
Tips:
- I use jasmine rice because it's ready in just 15 minutes. If you use a different kind, follow the package directions and factor in the time difference.
Sherri Rowell
I’m sorry I forgot to write sour cream in my question about lactose intolerance Everything else in the recipe has a lactose intolerance version except the sour cream. Thank You
Nancy Mock
Hi Sherri! Thanks for this question. The sour cream is there to help make the sauce smooth and creamy just before it's served. If you'd like to omit it, you can just add an extra splash of milk (or dairy-free-milk) instead to help smooth the sauce. I see online that there are vegan versions of sour cream, made with soy, beans, or nuts depending on the brand, however I'm not sure if they're available in all areas. I hope this helps and I hope your family likes it!
Sherri Rowell
it looks really good but my kids are lactose intolerant so is there something else I can use instead or can I leave it out ?
Zenzi
Wow, this was really tasty. The cheddar sauce is an exceptional cheddar sauce, great balance of flavors. I topped ours with fresh sliced green onions. Plus this is super easy to make with two preschoolers underfoot. This is definitely going in our rotation, thanks so much for sharing!
Nancy Mock
Thank you so much, Zenzi! I'm so happy to hear that you like it.
Sheryl
I just made this for dinner tonight. I didn't have any Jasmine Rice so I used Minute Rice instead. It all came together very quickly and was easy to put together. It was very tasty. The only thing I may do differently next time I make this (yes, I will be making this again) is to add some canned peas to it.
Nancy Mock
Hi Sheryl, I'm so happy that you enjoyed it and that you were able to make the dish with the rice you had on hand. That idea of adding canned peas to the mixture sounds good to me, yum! Thank you so much for trying my recipe.
Kacie
I don't have sour cream...is there an alternative I could use or just leave out?? Thank you and I look forward to making this!
Nancy Mock
Hi Kacie, The sour cream helps make the cheese sauce a little smoother and creamier. You can certainly just leave it out if you wish; you could also try substituting plain yogurt, cream, or some milk in place of the sour cream. I hope you enjoy it!
CHRIS
Just a quick question, is the rice in receipe cooked or raw?
Nancy Mock
Hi Chris! It’s 1-1/2 cups of raw jasmine rice, and in Step 1 you cook the rice according to the package directions.
Anonymous
I used regular white minute rice and thought it was good
Nancy Mock
Chris, I'm so happy to hear it. 🙂 Thanks for trying my recipe!
Sandy L Dibert
Do ya think you could make this in a crock pot? Would it be okay to take skin off if possible?
Nancy Mock
Hi Sandy, you can definitely remove the skin from your kielbasa if that's your preference. As for making this recipe in a crock pot, I haven't tried it. I believe jasmine rice in a slow cooker would only need an hour or so to cook, and you could probably have the sliced kielbasa in there with the rice. I think you would still need to make the cheese sauce separately on the stovetop. Another option that may work better would be to make the entire recipe as directed and then keep it warm in a crock pot until you're ready to serve it. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out!
Reese
Was a little on the salty side had to dull it a bit.. other than that was great .. next time I will opt out of the 3 tsp ( triple recipe) salt due to the salt in the cheese
Nancy Mock
Hi Reese, I appreciate this feedback and I have made an adjustment to this recipe based on your experience, and on hearing similar suggestions from other readers. I'm glad you liked the recipe overall, and I hope you'll come back to it often! Thank you!
Stacy
I made this for dinner tonight. YUM! It was super easy and quick. My 6 year old even liked it. I steamed some broccoli and used brown rice instead of jasmine. It's definitely a keeper for my family!
Nancy Mock
Hi Stacy! Well, if it won over a six year old then I know I did something right! 😄 I’m so happy to hear that you and your family liked this recipe. Thank you for trying it and sharing this with me!
Joyce commo
I bet it would be good with andouille sausage too.
Nancy Mock
Hi Joyce! Absolutely, if you like a spicy sausage like andouille you can definitely use that in this recipe. It will be tasty in combination with the smoky and Cheddary flavors. If you get to try this combination let me know what you think. Hope all's well with you and your family!
Camee
Would this work with almond milk or coconut milk, do you think? That’s all I have on hand..,
Nancy Mock
Hi Camee, I believe the sauce will still work with one of these non-dairy milks. It’s just the flavor of the milks you will need to consider. Of these two I think I would try the almond milk (assuming it has no vanilla flavoring) with these ingredients… but that’s your call. Let me know how it goes. -Nancy
Capri Davis
This was such a great recipe! We had it for dinner! It is very filling!
Nancy Mock
Capri, I am so happy to hear you liked it! It’s a favorite dinner of ours, too. Thank you so much for trying it. 😍
Sarah
Love it! I found it to be just a touch too salty (and I like my food salty) so next time I make this I'll probably reduce the salt by 1/4 or 1/2. The cheese and sausage add a lot of saltiness so for me the sauce doesn't need to be as salty.
Nancy Mock
Hi Sarah, thank you for the rating and I'm glad to hear you like this recipe! Thanks too for your feedback on the saltiness, that's great for me to know. Have a wonderful day!
N. ONeill
Kids loved this! I added chopped bell pepper. Easy and quick.
Nancy Mock
I'm so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this dish! Great call adding the green pepper, that sounds like a delicious variation. Thanks for your comment - it made my day!