This was a great recipe my Mom made when I was growing up. She worked and had to be an industrious and budget conscious meal planner for our large family. Luckily for us, she was a great cook. I’ve taken so many of my best planning techniques from her and, as the mother of six, those habits have served me well.

This is a dish she would make ahead of time and refrigerate. When we got home from school, Mom would leave instructions about how much liquid to add, what temperature to set the oven and when it needed to go in. This kind of meal planning and finishing were cornerstones of my education as a cook. Savory Sausage and Rice Casserole is still one of my go-to meals when I’m cooking for a crowd. (Note: I usually double this recipe for my family, but a single batch should serve about 4-6 people. Unless they eat like my family. Which means it probably will feed 4…or maybe 3.) 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound pork sausage
1 cup rice, uncooked
2 envelopes Lipton dry chicken noodle soup mix
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown and drain the sausage. Mix together the sausage, rice, soup mix, onion and celery and place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Mix soy sauce with the water and add to the casserole. Mix gently. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.