Some meals are special and humbling, for me it’s Puerto Rican Arroz con Salchichas. This old school yellow rice is tossed with chopped vienna sausages, and cooked in sofrito and tomato sauce. It is an inexpensive, old school recipe my family ate when times were tough but it never lacked flavor.
Ingredients
Like I mentioned, Puerto Rican Arroz con Salchichas is simple. You only need a few ingredients to really make this into a tasty, quick meal. You need:
- Long grain white rice
- Chicken broth
- Canned vienna sausages*
- Sofrito (homemade is best)
- Tomato sauce
- Your favorite seasonings
- Cilantro for garnish
- Bay leaves
The star of this dish are the vienna sausages. They are typically made with a mixture of pork and beef and yes, they’re canned. Remember, this was humble meal for many Puerto Ricans. Canned meat was all that many families had.
If you ask me, vienna sausages are an acquired taste. Either you like the flavor or you don’t. In case you don’t, a great substitute would be chicken sausages. They have great flavor varieties, like smoked, apple bourbon, even cajun.
How to Serve Arroz con Salchichas
Some may consider this a side dish, others (like myself) see this recipe as a whole entree. However, you can serve Arroz con Salchichas with any of these delicious sides and mains. Recipes are linked below 😊
Arroz con Salchichas – Puerto Rican Rice with Vienna Sausages
Equipment
- Caldero/Dutch Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups white rice long grain
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons sofrito homemade is best
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 3 cans vienna sausages drained and chopped
- 1 packet sazon with achiote y culantro
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf optional
- salt to taste optional
Instructions
- Before cooking the rice, it is important to rinse the rice extremely well. Run warm water over the rice, several times, until the water runs clear. Repeat until cloudy water is clear. Drain water and leave rice dry.
- Begin warming large dutch pot or caldero with olive oil on medium heat. Add sofrito and tomato sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add rice to the pot, and allow it to toast for 5 minutes. Rice will absorb the color and flavor of the sofrito, tomato mixture. Toasting the rice will also give it some more texture and bite.
- Next add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Take this time to season the rice with sazon, oregano, salt if needed, and any other seasonings.
- Drain the cans of vienna sausages and chop evenly. Add the sausages to the boiling rice and combine carefully.
- Leave rice boiling (uncovered) for 10 minutes until most of the broth is evaporated.
- Finally reduce the heat to low and simmer with lid on. Cook rice for another 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff rice with fork and garnish with cilantro.
