Creole Rice Dressing

Rice is one of the quintessential elements of Louisiana cooking. For many, a meal is incomplete without it, and Thanksgiving dinner is no different. Rice dressing, which combines rice, ground meat, and aromatics, is traditionally served alongside turkey and all of the trimmings. The dish, though called dressing, isn’t offered in place of mandatory dishes like cornbread dressing; you’ll want to serve both. Some Louisianans use “rice dressing” and “dirty rice” interchangeably, but not me. In my book, dirty rice includes gizzards and livers; but rice stuffing does not. In my recipe, Worcestershire sauce adds a savory punch to the ground pork mixture while the Creole trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper (as well as the Creole seasoning and hot sauce) make this dish distinctively Southern.

Note: This recipe was developed using the go-to Creole seasoning for Louisianans, Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. You may use whatever Creole seasoning blend you have on hand, but the amount of salt in blends varies greatly. Lawry’s, for example, is far saltier, while some grocery store brands’ Cajun seasoning and Creole seasoning may have very little salt in comparison. Be sure to taste at the very end and adjust the salt as needed.