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
Servings 6 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 tsp adobo* ($0.10)
- 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 ($0.30)
- 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)
- 1/4 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 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.
Equipment
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 onion powder
- 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 teaspoon 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 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!”
Amazing!
Added beans! But I put too much water and it came out mushy – I then covered it with bread so that the bread could absorb the moisture. Love this recipe
Sabroso!
I used the Goya brand of Sofrito, Adobo and Sazon, doubled the amount of olives, and substituted water for the broth. I also made it stovetop. It’s very tasty 😋 Reminded me of my abuelitas cooking!
Thank you Monte!
For all the non Americans on this global site, what measurement is a cup???
Because if you goggle it, it depends on what ingredient goes into said cup!!!
Approximately 235 ml or 340 gram
Is about a cup.
I’m not sure why but the print option doesn’t include the step about sofrito, it just jumps to the Vienna sausage step
We linked our more in-depth post about making sofrito in the post and ingredients! https://www.budgetbytes.com/how-to-make-sofrito/ We just didn’t want to make this post too long since we already had a whole post on it.
Excellent! I added juice from hot pepper jar for extra heat and was soooooo good. Used regular sausage; Also cheated with Minute Rice (the horror) leftover from camping trip and worked great too.
So good. Salt level fine after recipe was edited. We couldn’t stop eating it! Thank you!
FINALLY!!! Thank you Beth!
Tasty comfort food, although a bit addictive like slightly more healthy fast food. I used chicken andouille sausage.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and my grandmas nor my mother, never ever used Vienna sausages for arroz con salchichas, it was always salchichas Carmela. Arroz con salchichas doesn’t taste the same at all with Vienna salchichas.
Hi Joan- as mentioned in the post, this is not a traditional recipe. I look forward to a day when Puerto Rican ingredients are available at mainstream supermarkets on the mainland. Until that day, we have to make do with the ingredients that are available to us. Thank you for being here y buen provecho.
I made this for our family and it was absolutely delicious. It reminded me of a rice dish my grandma used to make, but I was too young to know what was in it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
I also agree this is very salty- the dish is overall tasty but trying to figure out how to dial down the salt – I only used 1tsp of adobo, but maybe low sodium chicken broth or water for the rice? Or less sazon? Thanks for the recipe!
So sorry Christine. I will retest and take out the adobo.
Delicious as usual, but honestly too salty. I suggest skipping the extra salt added!
I’ve been loving all of the recipes from Puerto Rico — keep them coming! Quick question: I bought my sofrito (Goya brand) and they offer a green version and a red version (tomato). If I buy the red version, I’m assuming I wouldn’t need to also add the tomato sauce?
Hi Dana! That’s right. Thank you for compliments y buen provecho!
Thanks! I also found like others that my final dish was a bit too salty but it might have been using store bought sofrito that got me there so I’ll likely not add the extra salt and used reduced sodium chicken broth next time.
Dang dude! I’m going to retest. So sorry.
Woah. Way too salty. I don’t know if it’s just too much adobo or Sazon or plain salt or the canned sausages…but something is making this taste too salty. Hello hypertension. Overall would make again, it was quick, but redo with less salt. And my kiddo actually tried it, but also noted it was salty.
Thank you for the feedback Jan! When I was looking over my notes, I realize it’s one teaspoon of Adobo and not 1 tablespoon. Apologies for the mistake.
I also agree this is very salty- the dish is overall tasty but trying to figure out how to dial down the salt – I only used 1tsp of adobo, but maybe low sodium chicken broth or water for the rice? Or less sazon? Thanks for the recipe!
Is there a reason the olives aren’t chopped? Just wondering.
Nope. Just how my Abuela used to make it. They are about the same size as the chopped Vienna sausages.