Cozy, warm Italian rice dish with sausage and spring vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. This Italian rice skillet comes together quickly, and is full of nourishing ingredients you can feel good about. Follow my tips below to make this delicious recipe.

Ingredients: rice, pasta sauce, butter, spinach, chicken sausage, cheese, and seasonings.

Italian Rice Dish Backstory.

Spring is kind of a weird season; smack dab between the warmth of the summer and the cool of the winter, yet some veggies are starting to pop their heads out of the soil. It’s also between the warm, cozy dishes of winter and the summer BBQs and salads. This yummy Italian rice dish with sausage is the perfect spring dinner. It combines spring vegetables with warm rice, in an Italian-inspired sauce.

Spring is really my kind of season, mostly because I really enjoy gardening in the spring. Once summer hits and my motivation dwindles, so does my garden… It’s only taken me 5 years to come to this realization.

In light of this self-reflection, this year we decided to have a spring garden, join a CSA (AKA a box of locally-grown fruits and veggies that comes to my house every week), and grow just a few summer crops like tomatoes and herbs. Maybe once my kids get a little bigger and my life becomes slightly less chaotic, things will change. But this seems like the perfect balance for us. I’m excited to use the crops from our spring garden in this tasty dish!

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Tools you may need:

Large skillet, cutting board, knife, liquid measuring cups, and wooden spoon. Nothing too fancy for this recipe, since this recipe ain’t fancy, y’all.

Tips for making Italian Rice With Sausage:

Frozen rice makes this dish super fast.
Chicken sausage or breakfast sausage will work for this recipe.
Add extra spring vegetables, like asparagus or kale.
Make this recipe vegetarian by replacing the sausage with vegan sausage, or just opting out.
Use whatever rice you have on hand: brown, white, minute rice, whatever suits your fancy.
Make it Whole30/Paleo friendly by subbing in cauliflower rice and omitting the cheese.

How To Cook Italian Rice With Sausage:

Make rice following package directions (you could do this in advance).
Heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of butter or oil.
Chop onion and slice sausage into half inch pieces. Toss into skillet and cook for 4 minutes, or until onion is translucent
Add chopped asparagus, tomatoes, and sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir in cooked rice.
Add fresh spinach (or frozen) and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Top with cheese (optional) and serve.

Want more delicious and easy recipes? Check these out!

Sheet Pan Fajitas are a quick and easy meal.
It takes 10 minutes to make this quick and healthy Chicken and Rice Soup.
Ginger Beef Broth Bowl is a hearty and fast dish.
Cheesy Spaghetti Squash With Beef is a veggie loaded dinner.

Italian Rice With Sausage Recipe

Quick and easy weeknight meal packed full of healthy vegetables, this Italian rice dish will become a family favorite.