Arroz Con Salchichas (Puerto Rican Rice With Sausage)

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Arroz Con Salchichas, or Puerto Rican Rice and Sausage, is one of my favorite pantry meals because it’s comforting, easy to make, and packed with flavor. As Beth would say, just put an egg on it and then eat until you hate yourself. (OK… that last part is all me.) PS It comes in under a dollar per serving and can be made in under an hour!

What Is Arroz Con Salchichas?

Arroz con salchichas, or rice with sausage, is a classic comfort food in many Latin American cultures. In Puerto Rico, it’s a staple weeknight meal traditionally made with canned Vienna sausages cooked in a flavorful sofrito sauce and yellow rice studded with briny olives and capers. Sometimes corn is added as well.

Ingredients for Arroz Con Salchichas

My recipe for Arroz Con Salchichas is pretty traditional. I keep it budget friendly by skipping the corn and the salt pork that’s present in many of my little island’s rice dishes. But if you’d like to add them in, fry about a 1/4 cup of diced salt pork before the sofrito hits the pan, and add about 1 1/2 cups of frozen, fresh, or drained canned corn when you add the olives. Here’s what you’ll need to make my easy Arroz Con Salchichas.

1. Sofrito – this powerful Puerto Rican blend of aromatics is the flavor base of many of our savory dishes. Canned sofrito is available, but fresh will always be better. Check out my simple recipe for a basic Puerto Rican Sofrito.
2. Adobo and Sazón– these spice blends give the rice a beautiful golden color and add earthy notes to the dish. If you can’t find adobo and sazón in your neck of the woods, I’ve included basic recipes in the notes section of the recipe card.
3. Tomato Sauce– helps add acidity and color to the dish.
4. Onion, Garlic, and Cilantro – these aromatics add earthy notes to the dish. Substitute the onion with 1 tablespoon of onion powder and the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. If you don’t have cilantro, substitute it with fresh Italian parsley or just skip it.
5. Vienna Sausages– these small open-ended canned sausages taste a little like hot dogs, though they are softer in texture. They bulk up the rice and add deep meaty flavors. Substitute them with any sausage or hot dog.
6. Rice – traditionally, in Puerto Rico, medium-grain white rice is used. But in the Budget Bytes kitchen, we use long-grain Jasmine Rice. Feel free to use whatever rice you prefer, just follow the package directions for cooking times and cooking liquid amounts.
7. Olives and Capers– this mixture is known as Alcaparrado and delivers a pop of acidic brininess to every bite! If you don’t have olives or capers, just skip them and add two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar instead.

Arroz Con Salchichas Variations

One of my favorite things about Arroz con Salchichas is how easy it is to customize. You can use brown rice or wild rice. Just follow the package directions for cook time and adjust your liquid. Add corn or other veggies you have on hand to bulk it up. Though it’s not traditional, I sometimes add peas, carrots, or diced tomatoes. If you don’t have Vienna sausages try:

1. Hot Dogs
2. Chorizo
3. Kielbasa
4. Spam
5. Chicken Sausage

What To Serve with Arroz Con Salchichas

Arroz Con Salchichas pairs beautifully with Ensalada de Aguacate (Avocado Salad), Yuca En Escabeche (Pickled Yuca), or the beans in this easy Puerto Rican Rice and Beans recipe. It’s also fantastic with Fried Eggs.

How To Store Leftovers

Refrigerate any leftover Arroz Con Salchichas in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also portion the rice and freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Reheat in a microwave until steaming.

Recipe by Cook Good Recipes

This Puerto Rican Arroz Con Salchichas recipe is a budget-friendly quick weeknight meal of rice and sausage that’s both filling and flavorful. Make it once and you’ll put it in heavy rotation!

Servings: 6 about 1.5 cups each

Prep time: 5 minutes mins

Cook time: 30 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

1. 1 Tbsp cooking oil($0.04)
2. 1 Tbsp adobo*($0.30)
3. 1 packet sazón**($0.19)
4. 1/4 cup  diced yellow onion($0.19)
5. 1 Tbsp minced garlic($0.24)
6. 1/4 cup sofrito($0.36)
7. 2 Tbsp tomato sauce($0.06)
8. 2 Tbsp pimiento stuffed Spanish olives($0.29)
9. 2 tsp capers($0.21)
10. 2 5oz. cans Vienna sausages($1.50)
11. 2 cups long-grain white rice($0.74)
12. 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, boiling($1.12)
13. 1  tsp salt($0.04)
14. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish($0.11)

Instructions 

1. Add the cooking oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Add the adobo and sazón and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the diced yellow onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the sofrito, tomato sauce, green olives, and capers to the pot, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. In the meantime, slice the Vienna sausages into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and rinse the rice until the water runs clear, making sure to drain off all excess water after rinsing.
3. Add the sliced Vienna sausages to the pot and sauté until browned. Finally, add the rinsed rice, salt, and boiling chicken broth to the pot. Stir and bring to a hard boil, with large bubbles breaking through the surface of the rice. Stir once more, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot.
4. Simmer the rice over low until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, but leave it covered. Let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir the rice, taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Stir in cilantro leaves then serve yourself a big bowl full and prepare to chow!

Notes

*If you cannot adobo, mix your own and then use the amount called for in the recipe. Store the rest in an airtight container.

1. 2 Tbsp salt
2. 1 Tbsp garlic powder
3. 1 tsp ground oregano
4. 1 tsp onion powder
5. 1 tsp black pepper
6. 1 tsp ground cumin
7. 1/2 tsp turmeric

**A packet of sazón contains about 1.5 teaspoons of sazón. If you cannot sazón, use the following:
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3. 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
4. 1/3 teaspoon ground annatto
5. 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
6. 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
7.  

 Sazón and adobo share a lot of similar ingredients but are used at different points in the cooking process and will develop slightly different colors and flavors.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving Calories: 376kcal Carbohydrates: 54g Protein: 11g Fat: 13g Sodium: 1328mg Fiber: 1g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer .

How to Make Arroz Con Salchichas – Step by Step Photos

Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon adobo and 1 packet of sazón and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Then, add the 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Next, add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the 1/4 cup of sofrito, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of green olives, and 2 teaspoons of capers, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. If you are planning to add corn or other veggies, put them in the pot now as well.

Add two 5-ounce cans of drained and sliced Vienna sausages and saute until browned. Finally, add 2 cups of rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 1/2 cups of boiling chicken broth. Stir and bring to a hard boil, with large bubbles breaking through the surface of the rice. Stir once more, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot.

Simmer the rice over low heat until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, but leave it covered. Let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir the rice, taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking, if needed. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves.

Then serve yourself a big bowl full! You can garnish, like I did, with freshly sliced avocado. I also prepare for a happy belly, by undoing the top button of my jeans, but you do you. As we say in Puerto Rico, “Buen provecho!”

More Easy Puerto Rican Recipes

Recipe by Cook Good Recipes