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!
A Note On Authenticity
This is not a historically authentic recipe. We strive to create recipes that are accessible to everyone, which means ingredients need to be available at a mainstream budget grocery store. We test recipes using the least amount of steps, tools, and ingredients while still honoring the spirit of the recipe. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and look forward to a time when our ingredients are available in mainstream markets. Until then, buen provecho!
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tomato Sauce– helps add acidity and color to the dish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- Hot Dogs
- Chorizo
- Kielbasa
- Spam
- 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.
Arroz Con Salchichas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil $0.04
- 1 Tbsp adobo* $0.30
- 1 packet sazón** $0.19
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion $0.19
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic $0.24
- 1/4 cup sofrito $0.36
- 2 Tbsp tomato sauce $0.06
- 2 Tbsp pimiento stuffed Spanish olives $0.29
- 2 tsp capers $0.21
- 2 5oz. cans Vienna sausages $1.50
- 2 cups long-grain white rice $0.74
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, boiling $1.12
- 1 tsp salt $0.04
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish $0.11
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/3 teaspoon ground annatto
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
Nutrition
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
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