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Cauliflower Dirty Rice

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Bold and spicy and full of flavor (not carbs!) This cauliflower dirty rice is one of the most flavorful keto side dishes you’ll ever try! Ready in about 15 minutes!

cauliflower dirty rice in bowl and pan

Keto Dirty Rice

I grew up in West Virginia, so when I moved to Texas in college, Cajun and Creole foods were pretty unknown to me. However, I quickly discovered that I loved the bold, spicy flavors of this new (to me) cuisine!

Dirty rice is one of my fav dishes, but as the name implies, it’s not going to work on a keto diet.

But you know that won’t stop me from eating the foods I love!

Instead, we made a keto-friendly version, which uses cauliflower rice! Normally, I think cauliflower is kind of boring…but this recipe is the furthest thing from boring!

The flavors of the cajun sausage and veggies cook into the rice so that every bite tastes incredible. I could eat cauliflower like this any day!

Because this easy cauliflower dirty rice has no grains, which makes it a great low carb option for those on a keto diet! This is a quick and easy recipe you can whip up in just a few minutes on the stove, making it great for an easy weeknight meal.

What is Dirty Rice?

Dirty rice is a traditional cajun dish — the name comes from the “dirty” appearance of the rice, as it browns when cooked with meat and veggies. 

There are many different ways to prepare dirty rice because it came about as a way to use up leftover meats. So you can use anything from ground beef to chicken to sausage (like we did here).

A purist might look at our low carb dirty rice as blasphemy, but I think that anything that lets me enjoy the foods I love with way less carbs is pretty awesome!

bowl of cauliflower cajun rice

For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used. Read our disclosure policy here.

Cauliflower Dirty Rice Ingredients

  • Frozen cauliflower rice — two (10oz bags) 
  • Cajun style sausage — about a pound, can be mild or spicy depending on your preference
  • Bell pepper — any color
  • Onion — one small or half of a large onion
  • Olive oil — or your favorite cooking oil
  • Cajun seasoning — be sure to check labels to make sure there is no added sugar or carbs; Tony Chachare’s Original Creole Seasoning is one of our favs

ingredients needed to make keto dirty rice with cauliflower and cajun sausage

KETO FAQ – Learn More

How to Make Dirty Rice with Cauliflower

In a large skillet, sauté the diced bell peppers and onions in olive oil until they begin to soften.

Add in the sliced sausage and continue to cook for a few minutes, until the sausage starts to brown.

Finally, toss in the frozen cauliflower rice and cajun seasoning.

making keto dirty rice in pan

Mix well to combine all the ingredients and cook until the cauliflower rice is warm and heated all the way through.

close up of cauliflower dirty rice

You’ll know it’s ready when your cauliflower rice starts to turn a golden brown and gets that “dirty” look!

cajun cauliflower dirty rice in sauté pan

More of our favorite keto cauliflower recipes:

Can you use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen?

Yes! If you have fresh cauliflower on hand, you can turn them into cauliflower rice pretty easily!

Chop a head of cauliflower into florets, then pulse in the food processor until they became small pieces that look like rice. Add them to this recipe where you’d add the frozen cauliflower rice.

I love fresh veggies in my dishes, however, having frozen cauliflower rice helps me save some time in the kitchen! No shame in that!

Related: Check out our easy cauliflower rice recipe here!

Can I add more veggies to this dish?

Yes! This is a pretty flexible recipe, so you can use up leftover veggies that you have on hand if you want to try and use up some leftovers. You could even switch up the protein in this dish to chicken or something else if you’d like.

Related: Click here for our keto food list and to see which veggies are lowest in carbs.

Can you use different types of meat?

Sure! I personally love cajun sausage (I usually eat it first out of any dish!) However, dirty rice can be made with pretty much any type of meat you like!

Ground beef works well, as does chicken. The main thing is just to make sure that the meat is cooked through, as cooking times for other meats may vary from how long it takes to cook sausage like we used.

bowl of cauliflower dirty rice with sausage

Low Carb Dirty Rice Recipe (Printable Copy)

If you like this recipe, rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Cauliflower Dirty Rice

Bold and spicy and full of flavor (not carbs!) This cauliflower dirty rice is one of the most flavorful keto side dishes you'll ever try!
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time15 mins
Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Keto
Keyword: Cauliflower rice, dirty rice, keto dirty rice, keto rice
Servings: 6
Calories: 261kcal
Author: Stacey
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 20 oz frozen cauliflower rice 2 - 10 oz bags
  • 13 ounces sausage cajun style
  • 1 bell pepper diced (any color)
  • 1 small onion (or half a large onion) diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

Instructions

  • In a large pan, sauté the bell peppers and diced onion in olive oil until they begin to soften.
    All of the fulfilling flavor but none of the rice! This Cauliflower Dirty Rice is the perfect keto cauliflower rice dish!
  • Add in the sliced sausage and continue to cook for a few minutes or until the sausage starts to brown.
  • Add in the frozen cauliflower rice and cajun seasoning; mix well and cook until the cauliflower rice is warm and heated all the way through.

Notes

Net Carbs: 5g per serving

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 667IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

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cauliflower dirty rice with sausage

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Missing rice while on the keto diet? Cauliflower rice is one of the most satisfying low carb side dishes and it's surprisingly easy to make!

 

How to Make Cauliflower Rice – The Easy Way!

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