Recipe Background
Jailhouse Rice melds hearty meats and tender rice with savory, comforting flavors.
Jailhouse Rice fills the kitchen with a rich, homely aroma of browned beef and savory sausage mingling together. As you stir in onion and celery, they soften and release a gentle sweetness that balances the dish’s hearty flavors. This comforting rice blend sits somewhere between a casserole and a pilaf, offering a toothsome blend of spices and a soothing backdrop of creamy soups.
Texturally, the dish is robust yet welcoming. The long-grain rice absorbs the broth, swelling into fluffy, tender grains. To ensure each kernel turns out separate but fully cooked, it's crucial to let the dish rest covered - this allows the steam to finish any remaining cooking. The rice cradles tender bites of meat and subtle notes of garlic, encouraging you to savor every spoonful.
Sharing Jailhouse Rice is about warmth and familiarity, whether you’re serving it as a family meal or dishing it out at a potluck. A sprinkle of parsley at the end adds just a hint of freshness, offering a beautiful contrast in color. Its easy preparation and satisfying result make it a go-to for gatherings where simplicity and flavor are equally cherished.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 cups celery finely diced
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of celery soup
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of onion soup
- 2 cups long-grain white rice raw
- parsley optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add the ground beef, the ground sausage, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic powder to a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, crumbling the meat, until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Halfway through cooking the meat, add the onion and the celery, cooking them with the meat for the remainder of the cooking time; the vegetables should be cooked until tender.
- Whisk together the broth, the celery soup, and the onion soup until smooth.
- Pour the soup mixture into the skillet (without draining the skillet) and stir to combine.
- Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, about 4-5 minutes.
- Gently stir in the rice.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake the mixture until the rice is cooked through, about 1 hour-1 hour 20 minutes.
- Transfer the dish from the oven and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove the rice and fluff it with a fork.
- Serve the rice garnished with the parsley.
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