A delicious and quick dinner that is an awesome weeknight meal!
Inevitably the evening will come along where, despite my best intentions I am short of time to get dinner ready. This Kielbasa, Cheddar and Rice dinner is a favorite of my family’s and a favorite of mine to pull together quickly.
The reasons for the shortness of time may vary. Late afternoon meetings. Errands to run. I sit down with a coffee after work and then can’t will myself to get back up again. Then I see my son make a move for the pantry, his hunger getting the better of him, and I realize I have to get cooking!
The staples of this dish are often on hand in our house, and work for many other dishes too. Jasmine rice cooks up in only fifteen minutes, and also works beautifully in Bacon, Tomato and Basil Rice Salad. Packages of kielbasa or smoked sausage are often on sale and extras freeze well to use for a future meal, like in Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes with Sausage.
A big bag of shredded cheese gets us through several meals, plus my kids use it to make simple cheese quesadillas for snacks, and more loaded types like spicy Chorizo Quesadillas.
This tasty dinner comes together in under thirty minutes, and most importantly it is delicious.
Cheesy, savory and satisfying.
And looking back…
Published 1 year ago: SAVORY TOMATO CHEDDAR STRATA
Published 2 years ago: SPICY BARBECUE SNACK MIX
Published 3 years ago: 6-INGREDIENT CHORIZO QUESADILLAS
Kielbasa, Cheddar & Rice
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups jasmine rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 12-ounce package kielbasa or smoked sausage
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan heat the butter over medium heat until it is melted. Quickly stir in the flour, garlic powder, pepper, smoked paprika and salt. Stir this roux continuously over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Quickly stir in the milk and whisk to combine it with the roux. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once simmering stir for another 30 seconds to one minute until the mixture has slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the shredded cheese until it is melted.
- Slice the kielbasa into thin slices. Heat the kielbasa slices in a small skillet over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the slices are sizzling and browned at the edges.
- In a large serving bowl toss together the cooked rice and kielbasa slices. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and stir to combine. Serve it while hot.
- Makes 6 servings.
Notes
Create, Be Curious, Celebrate… with Food!
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe? Click on the stars above to rate, and leave me a comment below – what did you think?
Originally published June 2013
Would this work with almond milk or coconut milk, do you think? That’s all I have on hand..,
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
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.
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!
Kids loved this! I added chopped bell pepper. Easy and quick.
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!