Ah! You’re asking about Dirty Rice with Ground Beef—a flavorful, Cajun-inspired dish. Let’s break it down clearly.
Dirty Rice with Ground Beef
What It Is
- Dirty Rice is a traditional Cajun/Creole dish from Louisiana.
- It gets its name from the “dirty” color of the rice, which comes from ground meat, spices, and sometimes liver (optional).
- In this version, we use ground beef instead of traditional organ meats.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Optional: chopped parsley or green onions for garnish
How to Make Dirty Rice with Ground Beef
- Cook the rice
- Rinse rice and cook in 2 cups broth (or water) until tender. Set aside.
- Cook the meat
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add vegetables
- Sauté onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in the skillet with the meat until softened.
- Season
- Add paprika, cayenne, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat meat and vegetables.
- Combine with rice
- Mix cooked rice into the meat and vegetable mixture.
- Cook for a few more minutes so flavors meld.
- Serve
- Garnish with parsley or chopped green onions. Serve hot as a main or side dish.
Tips
- Adjust spiciness with more or less cayenne pepper.
- Traditional Dirty Rice uses chicken livers for richer flavor, but ground beef is easier and just as tasty.
- This dish pairs well with gravy, fried chicken, or sautéed greens.
If you want, I can make a visual step-by-step diagram for making Dirty Rice with Ground Beef, showing the rice, meat, veggies, and seasoning layers—it’s easy to follow at a glance.
Do you want me to make that visual?
