This is the kind of recipe that shows up in church cookbooks and gets passed around on index cards. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s trying to be dinner. Hands-off oven rice with sweet Italian sausage, where the rice stays neutral and buttery, and the sausage does all the talking.
Snapshot
- Implements: 9×13 glass or ceramic casserole, aluminum foil
- Oven: 350°F (177°C)
- Batch size: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 3½ to 4 cups water
- 2 Tbsp salted butter or olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, sliced into thick coins
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- ½ Tsp fennel seeds
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: small pinch kosher salt
Method
Heat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Rinse and spread the rice.
Rinse the rice briefly under cold water, drain well, and spread evenly in the casserole.
Prepare the liquid.
Warm the water slightly (just enough to melt butter if using). Add the butter or olive oil and stir to combine, then pour evenly over the rice. The rice should be fully wet but not floating.
Add the peppers.
Scatter the green bell pepper over the rice.
Arrange the sausage.
Arrange the sausage on top, pressing gently into the rice for contact without submerging.
Season.
Sprinkle fennel seeds evenly over the dish. Add a few turns of black pepper. Salt very lightly if at all.
Cover and bake.
Cover tightly with foil. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.
Rest and serve.
Rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and serve.
Notes, swaps, and guardrails
Texture and flavor check
Rice: fluffy, separate grains, lightly rich (buttery with butter, milder with olive oil), not seasoned rice
Sausage: fully cooked, lightly crisped where it contacts rice
Peppers: soft, mild, no browning
Overall: restrained, filling, not clever
The dairy-free label applies when using olive oil; butter adds dairy.
Do not stir.
Do not swap in broth unless you want a different dish.
If using very juicy sausage, stick closer to 3½ cups water.