This Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet is a cozy, one-pan dinner made for busy weeknights. Savory sausage, sweet bell peppers, leeks, and garlic are simmered in a simple tomato sauce for big flavor with minimal effort. Naturally gluten-free and hearty enough to feed a family, it’s the kind of meal everyone goes back for seconds of.
"This sausage skillet was so easy to make and I did use up some excess veggies from the fridge. We love sausage so this was one I will definitely remake." -Jere Cassidy
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 1hr 5 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 5
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 632 kcals and 24 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Italian sausage links, bell peppers, rice, bone broth, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free and gluten-free.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: It’s a hearty, one-skillet dinner packed with smoky sausage, tender peppers, and bold flavor that feeds a crowd with minimal effort.
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If you’re craving something hearty but don’t want a sink full of dishes, this sausage peppers rice skillet is exactly what you need. Everything cooks in one pan, making it a lifesaver on busy nights, just like this dairy-free sausage pasta when you want comfort food without the cleanup. It’s filling, flavorful, and feels like a real meal without extra work.
This sausage and peppers recipe with tomato sauce is also perfect for clearing out the fridge. Toss in extra veggies you have on hand, serve it alongside candied Brussels sprouts, or pair it with a simple salad like this vegankale salad for an easy, balanced dinner. Simple ingredients, big flavor, and way less stress at dinnertime, kind of like the idea behind the Busy Mom's Cookbook: 30 meals in 30 minutes!
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy: Made in just one skillet for easy cleanup, this Italian sausage, peppers, and rice skillet comes together easily.
Kid-approved: Kids love the bites of sausage paired with easy tomato sauce.
Versatile: There are lots of ways to adjust the taste of the sausage and peppers recipe to create new flavors.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Gluten-free pork sausages: Make sure to double-check that your sausages are gluten-free, as many store-bought brands use gluten as a filler. Any Italian sausages will work for this sausage and rice recipe, so grab the flavor best suited to your household.
- Leek: Sliced leeks give this skillet dinner a great flavor. However, if you don’t have any on hand, sweet onion works too.
- Chicken broth: If you have homemade chicken broth on hand, awesome! If not, whisk some chicken broth powder into water for maximum flavor.
- Tomato sauce: The kind of sauce you grab will make a difference to the flavor of the sausage and rice skillet.
- Uncooked rice: Basmati rice cooks best in this skillet dinner, but brown rice will work too if that’s what you have. Have cooked rice on hand? You can use that too! Scroll down to see how to tweak the recipe for cooked rice.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Veggies: Though peppers pair best with Italian sausages, any vegetables like mushrooms, chopped celery, or broccoli can be tossed in.
Spice: if you like a kick of heat, add some chopped jalapenos (use the extra for your Whole30 chicken omelet the next morning) or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Cheesy: Sprinkling some nutritional yeast or dairy-free cheese into the skillet is always tasty!
How To Make The Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet
Step 1: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium to high heat and cook the sausages in oil until cooked through, and drain the grease.
Step 2: Add in the garlic, leek, and peppers, and cook until soft before adding the broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well.
Step 3: Bring the mixture to a boil and mix in the rice.
Step 4: Cover and cook until the rice is cooked through, then keep at a rolling boil until the skillet thickens up.
Expert Tips
Double-check that your Italian sausages are gluten-free that they’re gluten-free.
Want to make the sausage and peppers skillet more Cajun? Top it with a pinch of cayenne pepper while it sits- this works well for something like chicken bog too!
Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to let the sausage, peppers, rice skillet simmer a bit longer so that the extra liquid is absorbed.
This recipe is wicked at stretching for a family thanks to the rice. If you have a rice cooker and need some more ideas, check out these rice cooker recipes to stretch more meals!
Store leftovers, once cooled, in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Add a splash of broth to the mixture before reheating it on the stove or in the microwave.
Italian Sausage Rice Skillet FAQs
If you’re browning your sausage, add a tiny bit of oil or water to the bottom of your pan. Heat it at just over medium heat. When it’s hot, add in the sausages and let them cook, taking care to toss or turn them frequently. If sliced, sausages will take roughly 10 minutes to brown. If the sausages are intact, poke some holes in them to release the heat and expect them to cook slightly longer.
If stored in a sealed container, you can reheat a portion of the skillet dinner in the microwave. If you need to reheat the entire thing, add in ½ cup of water or bone broth, cover the skillet, and cook at medium to low until heated through.
You can use leftover rice however, since it won't absorb as much liquid, you'll want to scale back the chicken broth by one cup and adjust as per your preference as it heats.
Chicken sausages work just as well as regular Italian sausage for this recipe so you can easily sub them in.
More Gluten-Free Weeknight Dinner Recipes You'll Lov
If you tried this Easy One Skillet Sausage and Peppers and Rice recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Gluten-Free Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 Sausage links sliced
- 2 Bell peppers sliced
- ½ cup Leek sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 cups Bone broth
- 1.25 cups Rice uncooked
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- 1 cup Tomato sauce
- 2 tbs Tomato paste
- 1 tbs Avocado oil
- pinch Cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Heat a large wok over medium high heat.
- Add in the oil and sausages.
- Cook the sausages until cooked through (10-12 minutes). Drain the grease.
- Turn the burner down to medium heat and add in the garlic, leek, and peppers.
- Cover and cook until mostly soft.
- Add in the broth sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well.
- Turn the heat up slightly and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add in the rice.
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes at medium heat until the rice is cooked through.
- Uncover and keep at a rolling boil until the skillet thickens up or reaches desired consistency (15 minutes-ish).
- Let sit for ten minutes before serving.
- Top with cayenne pepper if using.
Notes
- Want to make the sausage and peppers skillet more cajun? Top it with a pinch of cayenne pepper while it sits.
- Brown rice and basmati rice both work for this recipe.
- Though the sausage recipe calls for leek, sweet onion works well in its place.
- Depending on the size of your cast iron skillet, you may need to let the mixture simmer a bit longer so that the extra liquid is absorbed.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Jere Cassidy says
This sausage skillet was so easy to make and I did use up some excess veggies from the fridge. We love sausage so this was one I will definitely remake.
fitasamamabear says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Any says
So tempting!! I can't wait to try it!!
fitasamamabear says
It's definitely a great one for weeknights!
Gen says
Perfect weeknight dinner! This was easy, really delicious, and everyone loved it. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
fitasamamabear says
So happy you love it!
Molly Pisula says
Loved this dinner! Great flavors, and the fact that you only need to dirty up one pot is fantastic!
fitasamamabear says
Haha always a good night when cleanup is easy!
Jess says
Such a delicious and filling dinner
fitasamamabear says
Definitely one we love!
Jenn says
This sausage dish was so meaty and delish! I loved all the flavors in it and the kids asked for seconds! Dinner winner!
fitasamamabear says
Definite win when the kids approve!