Easy Dirty Rice with Shrimp

This Easy Dirty Rice with Shrimp offers a fresh take on the traditional Cajun dish. The addition of shrimp turns this into a fabulous main dish. Easy to make and very flavorful!

This recipe turns a boring bowl of rice into a flavorful main dish. Just add some browned ground beef and “the trinity with the Pope” which is diced bell peppers, celery, onions and garlic. I think you will love this recipe!

The traditional Cajun “dirty” rice is a well loved Louisiana classic with as many different recipes as there are cooks. The classical version uses chopped chicken livers or gizzards which give it a distinctive dark color dubbing it “dirty” rice. I have added some ground beef and shrimp instead which makes this easy dirty rice with shrimp a great main dish for dinner or lunch.

It refrigerates well and it serves more than 4 depending on your appetite. This easy dirty rice with shrimp goes well with sriracha if you want to add some more spicy kick to it.

I am always looking for ways to use leftover rice and this recipe is perfect. You can use either leftover rice or cook rice as you prepare the rest of the dish.

How To Make Easy Dirty Rice with Shrimp

What you need

1 1/2 cup uncooked rice

1 bay leave

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp + 1/4 tsp cayenne, divided

1/8 tsp + 1/2 tsp paprika, divided

1/8 tsp + 1/2 tsp thyme, divided

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 bell peppers (I used 1 green & 1 orange)

1 lb ground beef (or ground pork sausage)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp cumin

2 scallions, chopped

Instructions

Cook brown rice according to package directions in water along with 1 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/8 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp thyme.

When the rice is almost ready, heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and cook shrimp until done, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Discard liquid from shrimp in the skillet, and heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and bell peppers. Saute on medium heat until soft about 5 minutes. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, remaining cayenne, paprika and thyme. Add ground beef and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until cooked through.

Add cooked rice and shrimp to the skillet, toss, cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Serve warm and sprinkle some scallions on top. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this Dirty Rice with Shrimp recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!