Dirty Rice

The other night I found myself faced with an interesting predicament: a pound of ground beef and no idea what to do with it.

It's seems so simple, there are SO many ground beef options out there, but none of my usual weeknight go to's were clicking.

Tacos? Out of shells.
Spaghetti? Had it last week.
Burgers? No buns.

Then I remembered a simple Cajun dish I had heard of years ago, but had never tried. Dirty rice.

On the few occasions when I've had Cajun food I have never ordered the dirty rice. It always seemed like this simpler dish that when put on a menu with Gumbo or Jambalaya gets out shined by its multi-component or roux based siblings.

So I decided to give this easy weeknight dish a try and I was NOT disappointed.

It reminded me a lot of Fried Rice...the Cajun version. The best part is it's made up of inexpensive ingredients I already had in the house. It made quite a bit and when I had some of the left overs the next day it was just as good as the night I cooked it.

Dirty Rice
Serves 6-8
Total Cost: $5.60 (appox. $.93-$.70 per person)

1lb ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups of cooked rice
1/8 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning or Louisiana Hot Sauce
Salt & Pepper, to taste

In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the ground beef until completely browned. Add the vegetables and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Finally, stir in the seasoning, rice and parsley and serve.