Sausage and Rice Dressing is a favorite come Thanksgiving time. Loaded with pork sausage, this is a really meaty rice casserole with onion, celery, mushrooms, a little cajun seasoning, and lots of shredded cheddar cheese.

I love a Cornbread Dressing, but sometimes it’s nice to have a rice-based dressing too. When it comes to Thanksgiving I’m a firm believer there can never be too many sides.
How To Serve
No need to just serve Sausage and Rice Dressing for Thanksgiving though. It goes great with chicken and makes a filling side dish any time of year.
Type Of Sausage To Use
With a full pound of sausage this casserole is very hearty. I like to use a ground breakfast sausage flavored with sage for lots of fall flavor.
Make Ahead
This recipe can be fully prepped and placed in a casserole dish up to a day in advance. Cover it with foil and refrigerate until ready to make. Add about 5 minutes onto the baking time.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese in place of cheddar.
- Use cream of chicken soup or cream of asparagus soup in place of cream of mushroom soup.
- Add a drained can of Rotel tomatoes for a little zest.
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Sausage and Rice Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) package wild rice mix
- 1 pound ground pork sausage with sage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) package white mushrooms, sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare rice according to package directions.
- In a large pan, brown sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Once no longer pink, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- To grease in pan, add butter and cook onion, celery, and mushrooms until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add to bowl with sausage.
- Add rice, cream of mushroom soup, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
- Transfer mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted October 18, 2017.
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Do you pre cook the rice, or mix it in uncooked before baking??
I used this recipe however additionally sauteed diced red and green peppers with a diced red onion along with the flavors together with the additional ingredients was really yummy. Thank you