Name: 30 Minute Arroz con Salchichas (Yellow Rice with Sausage)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 1 tbsp achiote oil or olive oil; 1 (4.6oz) can vienna sausages; ½ cup sofrito; 1 red bell pepper; ⅓ cup pimento olives, sliced; 2 bay leaves; 2 tsp sazon seasoning; 2 tsp adobo seasoning; 4 cups broth; 2 cups white rice; Cilantro to garnish

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Arroz con salchichas (aka yellow rice with sausages) is an easy and delicious one-pot meal that comes together in just 30 minutes. This Puerto Rican version is made with achiote oil, sofrito, pimento olives, and vienna sausage.

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If you've ever tried Puerto Rican cuisine, you know how heavy the Spanish influence is. It can be found in recipes like these croquetas de jamón, flan, and arroz con leche.

This arroz con salchichas is a delicious rice dish infused with classic Puerto Rican flavors like sofrito, adobo, and sazon. It gleans color and flavor from achiote oil and slices of vienna sausage and bell pepper that add both protein and variety in texture.

bowls of sausages, seasoning, peppers, rice, and more

Ingredients

Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.

achiote oil or olive oil
vienna sausages
sofrito
red bell pepper
pimento olives, sliced
bay leaves
sazon seasoning
adobo seasoning
chicken broth
white rice
cilantro to garnish

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Brown the sausages. Heat the achiote oil in a pan over medium heat before adding sliced sausages. Make sure to flip them at the halfway point to get them nice and golden brown on both sides.

Hint: Caramelizing the sausages brings out the sugars in them, resulting in a more flavorful end result.

Add veggies, spices, and rice. Add the sofrito to the pan and cook until fragrant, before adding the bell pepper, olives, spices, bay leaves, and rice, mixing everything to coat the rice. Adding the rice at this point helps to coat each grain with flavor and oil, resulting in a fluffier end result.

Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Remember you can make your sofrito in advance or buy a jar at the store.

Add broth and cook rice. Next, add all of the broth and rice and bring to a heavy boil.

Give everything a good mix to combine before lowering the heat to low and covering. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is done.

Tip: If you're using an alternative kind of rice, just make sure to use the appropriate quantity of broth and cook time as specified on the package instructions.

Fluff and serve. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving with a bit of cilantro as a garnish.

You can also serve with a dash of your favorite hot sauce or sliced of avocado.

Substitutions

There are a few staple ingredients you will notice in the ingredient list that you may not have on hand. Here are some ideas on how to substitute them and still keep it true to arroz con salchichas:

Achiote oil - if you don't have achiote oil, feel free to make your own or grab a jar at the store. If there's no time for the first two options, you can always sub it with your go-to cooking oil (just know the rice won't have that signature yellow color).
Sofrito - you can also buy this in a jar, make your own, or sub it with a minced onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and cilantro.
Vienna sausage - this is an ingredient I don't use often so if it's new to you, no worries! If you aren't into the idea of sausages from a can, feel free to use your favorite sausage, just dice it up into bite sized pieces.

What to Eat it With

Arroz con salchichas stands well as a meal on its own, but here are some fun Puerto Rican recipes that pair well with this dish:

Ensalada Verde - if you're looking for something light and refreshing to pair with this entree, look no further than this green salad with a simple vinaigrette
Tostones - these crispy fried plantains result in a delicious contrast in textures when paired with popular Puerto Rican rice dishes
Flan - I can't think of a more classic dessert than this classic Puerto Rican flan to serve after enjoying some arroz

More Puerto Rican Rice Dishes

If you enjoy arroz con salchichas, you have to try more of Puerto Rico's most popular rice dishes. Here's where to start:

Arroz con pollo - debatably the most notorious Puerto Rican rice dish, arroz con pollo is a must try for lovers of chicken and/or savory rice dishes
Arroz con gandules - this vegan dish is essentially tied with arroz con pollo for the most popular rice dish on the island, and for good reason as it's loaded with flavor and very easy to make
Arroz con leche - a sweet rice dish, that's typically served for dessert, arroz con leche is a thick and creamy dream

Also check out this Puerto Rican-style empanada rice recipe if you're interested in something a little outside of the box.

Storage

Any leftovers you have can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Time saving tip

If you have the time, make a batch of sofrito ahead of time and freeze in ice cube trays. This way your leftovers will keep for months and you'll have sofrito on hand whenever you want to make dishes like this one.

You can also make the achiote oil ahead of time and store in an airtight jar on the countertop.

Buen provecho,