Cajun Shrimp & Sausage Rice Skillet
So here's the thing...I needed a weeknight dinner that would actually fill everyone up, taste like I spent way more time on it than I did, and require minimal cleanup. This cajun shrimp rice skillet is basically that answer. Fluffy brown rice, perfectly seasoned shrimp, kielbasa sausage, and enough cajun flavor to make your kitchen smell incredible. It's all made in one skillet and ready in under an hour. Even my husband asks for seconds, which means I'm not scrambling to make backup sides. Leftovers are seriously good too.
I love this cajun shrimp recipe because it's all made in a single skillet, it's loaded with flavor, and it actually fills my husband up making my life a whole lot easier! This recipe is great for a quick family meal and even the leftovers are delicious.
Be sure to check out my bang bang shrimp recipe too! They're also one of my husband's favorite meals and are so versatile.
Ingredients
- Vegetable broth - cooks the rice beautifully. Chicken broth, bone broth, or even water work just fine.
- Shrimp - fresh is ideal, but frozen works great too. Just peel and devein if needed.
- Kielbasa - adds hearty bulk to the whole dish. Swap it for andouille sausage, chicken sausage, or skip it entirely if you want.
- Olive oil - any neutral oil will do.
- Long grain brown rice - I use brown rice for the extra fiber, but white rice works too (just use less liquid and shorten the cook time slightly).
How to Make This Cajun Shrimp Skillet
Serving & Storing
Top your bowl with chopped green onions if you're feeling fancy. Serve it while it's still warm and dig in. For storage, let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. It'll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. When you're ready to eat it again, reheat it on the stovetop with about ½ cup of broth and cook until the rice is light and fluffy again.
Tips
- Stir occasionally. The rice can stick to the bottom of the pan if you let it hang out too long, so give it a stir every now and then.
- Add more broth if needed. Brown rice needs a little extra love compared to white rice. If your rice is still on the stiff side after simmering, splash in more broth and let it soak it up.
- Make it your own. If you're cooking for littles, dial back the cayenne and lean into the paprika instead. You'll get all the flavor without the heat.
- Watch that shrimp. It cooks fast, so keep an eye on it once it hits the pan. The moment it loses that translucent look and turns a light pinkish color, you're done.
For more easy weeknight meals, check out my:
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Recipe
Cajun Shrimp & Sausage Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- ⅓ cup diced white onion - about ½ small onion
- ¾ cup long grain brown rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lb shrimp - peeled and deveined
- 7 oz kielbasa - I used Pederson's Farms no sugar added kielbasa. Andouille sausage will work too.
- Green onions - to tpo (optional)
Instructions
- Mix up the seasonings in a shallow bowl or plate until well mixed. Set aside.2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic, and white onion. Spoon in about half of the seasoning mixture (about 1 Tbsp) and mix into the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.3 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, ⅓ cup diced white onion
- Add the brown rice and vegetable broth to the skillet and stir to coat the rice in the liquid. Place the lid on top of the skillet and let the broth come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the rice to simmer for at least 20 more minutes until soft and fluffy. If using white rice, this may only take 10 minutes.¾ cup long grain brown rice, 3 cups vegetable broth
- While the rice is cooking, sprinkle the rest of the seasonings over the shrimp and toss to coat. Once the rice is done, place the shrimp and kielbasa in the skillet and mix into the rice with a spatula. Place the lid on top of the skillet and allow the shrimp to cook for about 5 minutes. The shrimp will be done when they are no longer translucent and have a light pink-ish color.1 lb shrimp, 7 oz kielbasa
- Sprinkle some chopped green onions on top of the dish and serve warm.Green onions
I made this and it was really quite good. I added one teaspoon of smoked paprika, and cut the cayenne in half. Always worried about it being to much, but could have used it all. There are a lot of spices, which makes it a good recipe, but I felt like just one more thing was missing to finish it off(spice), but I am not sure what it is?
Made it with white rice, all I had. It was good, but brown would likely be better.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
In your recipe it says 3 cups of vegetable brown instead of broth. I thought you would like to know