I love one pot meals, and this recipe for Italian rice skillet fits the bill perfectly. One of the best things about skillet meals is that there’s only one pan to clean up when dinner is finished. I love how simple this is to prepare, and my family loved it. Food Critic enjoyed is so much that, one of the times I made it, he ended up eating three servings by himself, though not all at one sitting. Of course, he’s quite capable of eating that much at one sitting, and he’s not overweight. I really want his metabolism. (Imagine me trying to look at my but while scowling.)

What you will need to prepare Italian Sausage and Rice Skillet

From the Pantry:

• Diced Tomatoes with Italian Seasoning
• Long Grain White Rice

From the Refrigerator:

• Bulk Italian Sausage
• Zucchini
• Portobello Mushrooms
• Mozzarella Cheese

From the Root Cellar

• Yellow, or Brown, Onion

How to Prepare Italian Rice Skillet

The process is simple. The first thing you should do is chop all of your vegetales, the onion, zucchini, and portobello mushroom and set them aside, so they will be ready when it’s time to add them to the skillet.

Next, you will need a very large, deep skillet with a lid. Put it on a burner over medium heat and add the ground Italian sausage and begin to brown it.

When the sausage is beginning to get cooked, add the diced onions to the pan, and stir them with the meat until they begin to become translucent.

Once the onions are finished, add the garlic– we used three cloves of garlic in the pan because Baker’s Man always requests “more garlic.” Allow the garlic to become fragrant, then add the uncooked rice to the skillet and mix well.

Stir the rice into the meat mixture and allow it to toast until it begins to become more opaque, then add the can of diced tomatoes to the skillet along with the can filled to the top with water. (Using the can as a measuring cup for your water serves two purposes. It keeps you from needing to get out any measuring cups, and it ensures that you get every last bit of the tomatoes out of the can.

Stir well to combine the rice, with the tomatoes and water, then add the chopped zucchini and mushroom.

Mix all of this together and bring the pan to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and cover the pan. Allow the rice, meat, and vegetable mixture to simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.

Once the cooking time is finished, remove the lid and sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese over the top of the pan. Don’t stir anything.

replace the lid, and turn off the heat. Allow the skillet to sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. This lets the cheese melt.

Remove the lid and serve. You can sprinkle the top with fresh parsley for color, but we didn’t have any, so we ate it as is.

I know I’m going to sound like a broken record, but this was very good. A friend, and taste tester, said “This is REALLY good,” and I think I already mentioned that Food Critic ate three servings one time I made it, and two servings another time. He has some suggestions for another rice skillet meal, and I think I might give his ideas a try.

That’s pretty much covers how to make the Italian Sausage Rice Skillet, so let’s look at some questions.

What if I don’t like turkey sausage?

This recipe will work just as well with pork Italian Sausage, but you might need to drain off some of the grease after cooking the sausage to prevent the final product from being too oily.

What if I can’t find bulk Italian sausage?

If you can’t find bulk Italian sausage, go ahead and use Italian sausage links. Simply splint the casings with a knife and squeeze the sausage out of them into a pan.

What if I can’t find Diced Tomatoes with Italian herbs?

In my grocery store. Diced tomatoes with Italian herbs are on the shelf near regular diced tomatoes. Look around and read the labels. If you can’t find them, add some garlic powder and Italian seasoning to a can of regular diced tomatoes. I would suggest about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.

Can I use already cooked rice in this recipe?

It’s possible to make something similar using already cooked rice by using a technique similar to the one I used in my Salsa Rice recipe, but this recipe, as it is written, won’t turn out right if you use already cooked rice. There will be too much liquid, and the rice will cook to mush. Trust me. You don’t want mushy rice.

Do I have to use Portobello mushrooms?

I actually wanted to use cremini mushrooms in this recipe, sliced up all pretty, but there weren’t any in my local store. (You know…supply chain issues and all.) I grabbed a Portobello because they were literally the only mushrooms in the store. You can use whatever type of mushrooms you prefer. I would recommend button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or, of course, Portobello because they’re basically the same mushroom. You just want about a cup full of sliced or diced mushrooms for this recipe.

What if I don’t like mushrooms?

Don’t use them. You can add another vegetable that you like in their place. Try adding diced bell pepper, or carrots and celery, but you will need to add them at the beginning with the onions as these vegetables take longer to cook and become tender.

How can I make this meal vegan?

I suspect that you would need to begin with some oil in the pan because plant based sausage doesn’t have any fat in it, but there are some delicious Beyond Meat Italian Sausage links readily available in stores. You would have to cook the sausage first with a little oil, and then dice it up before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Cook the onions, and garlic in olive oil, toast the rice with the onions and garlic, then add the Beyond Sausage Italian sausage back to the pan and proceed with the recipe as written. For your cheese, I would recommend Daiya plant based cheese. They have an amazing Mozzarella style shreds that actually melts.

What do I serve with Italian Sausage Rice Skillet?

You should keep things simple. This can be served with a green salad. If you aren’t watching carbs, you can also have some garlic bread on the side. You could have this with another cooked vegetable–Food Critic recommends green beans. I took leftovers for lunch, and I ate a serving of the rice as well as some fresh fruit for dessert, and I was very satisfied.

There you have it. A simple skillet meal that’s a great family dinner. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. We love to hear from our readers.

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The following nutrition label was calculated for one serving (one-sixth of the pan) of Italian Rice Skillet prepared according to the recipe above.

Disclaimer:  Nutritional information is calculated using online tools such as those available at cronometer.com or verywellfit.com.  We make every attempt to ensure that the information is calculated correctly, but this information should be considered estimates.   Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe.  In addition, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition-fact sources, databases, and the algorithms used.   You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.  Under no circumstances will PattyCakesPantry.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information provided.