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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Homemade Beef and Bacon Instant Pot Dirty Rice

    Published: Jul 27, 2021 · Modified: Aug 5, 2021 by Alana Lieberman · As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Pin graphic for beef and bacon instant pot dirty rice.

    This homemade instant pot dirty rice is a quick and easy recipe full of delicious Southern flavors. With just the use of your favorite pressure cooker, you can throw it all together in under 30 minutes. Plus, cleanup is a total breeze, making this the absolute best weeknight side dish!

    Dirty rice garnished with parsley in a black bowl.
    Homemade instant pot dirty rice is a delicious side dish.
    Jump to:
    • 📋 About the Recipe
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 📓 Instructions
    • ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
    • ❄️ How to Store
    • 🔍 FAQs
    • 💭 One More Tip
    • 🍴 Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    📋 About the Recipe

    • This instant pot dirty rice recipe is healthy, filling, and delicious. It's made from scratch with fresh ingredients, like celery, yellow onions, and green bell peppers, as well as lean ground beef.
    • With the help of your instant pot or pressure cooker, it's also a quick and easy one pot recipe. Cooking takes only about 20 minutes, while the prep work takes less than 10. It's a great side dish made in under 30 minutes!
    • This homemade version of traditional dirty rice, includes simple ingredients. Instead of pork sausage and chicken livers, this recipe calls for ground beef, bacon, and chicken broth.
    • The rice comes out fluffy and fragrant, while the other ingredients really kick the flavor of boring white basmati rice up a notch. It's savory, slightly smoky, a touch spicy, and super hearty.
    • It's the perfect cajun side dish to your favorite creole dishes. Serve with cajun steak bites, chicken wings, chicken patties, corn on the cob, or Louisiana-style red beans.

    🛒 Ingredients

    Labelled ingredients for homemade dirty rice (see recipe for details).
    Ingredients for homemade dirty rice.

    A few notes about the ingredients:

    1. Ground beef - ground beef adds flavor and fat to the rice. I use 90% lean 10% fat so it doesn't get too greasy. Beef gives the rice that perfect "dirty" look and makes this side dish extra filling!
    2. Celery, onion, green bell peppers, garlic, jalapeños - these vegetables enhance the flavor of the rice, giving it the perfect balance between savory and spicy.
    3. Bacon - bacon adds flavor and fat to the rice as well. It gives the rice a slightly smoky taste, while providing a small amount of grease to help cook down the rest of the ingredients.
    4. Basmati rice - I like to use basmati rice for it's texture and flavor. It is a fragrant, long-grain white rice that holds it's shape well with the rest of the heavier ingredients. It comes out fluffy and perfectly cooked.
    5. Chicken broth - instead of cooking the rice with water, the chicken broth adds even more flavor as the rice absorbs it while cooking. Opt for a low-sodium broth or adjust the salt accordingly.
    6. Bay leaf - the addition of the bay leaf creates a subtle black pepper flavor that steeps into the rice. This helps in lightening up the dish by infusing nuances of flavor throughout.
    7. Fresh parsley - fresh parsley adds a bright herbaceous flavor to the heavier rice. If you don't like parsley, you can leave it out, but it is a nice addition to the cooked rice.
    8. Dried oregano, thyme, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne - these spices and herbs help in seasoning the dish. Chili powder adds a slight smokiness, while the sprinkle of cayenne provides a hint of spiciness.

    📓 Instructions

    1. On the sauté setting of your instant pot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to a clean plate covered with a paper towel to absorb any extra grease. Set aside.

    Cooked ground beef in the base of an instant pot.
    Brown the ground beef in the bottom of the instant pot.

    2. With the sauté setting still on, add the ground beef and worcestershire sauce to the pot and cook the beef in the bacon grease until almost cooked through.

    Cooked onions, bell peppers, and ground beef in the base of an instant pot.
    Sauté the vegetables with the beef.

    3. Add onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeño (if using) to the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the onion becomes soft and slightly translucent.

    4. While, the vegetables are cooking, crumble the bacon into small pieces.

    Seasonings and broth added on top of cooked ground beef, onions, and bell peppers in the base of an instant pot.
    Add in the seasonings, broth, and rice.

    5. Add bacon to the pot, along with the rice, chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

    6. Cover with the lid, place the valve in the sealing position, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.

    7. When the time is up, allow the dirty rice to naturally release for 15 minutes before switching the valve to the venting position and manually releasing the rest of the pressure.

    8. Fluff rice with a fork, remove the bay leaf, and mix in freshly chopped parsley before serving.

    Beef and bacon dirty rice with a side of cajun steak bites on a black plate.
    Serve dirty rice on the side of your favorite cajun or creole dishes.

    ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations

    Instead of ground beef: you can swap the beef for the more traditional ground pork sausage.

    Instead of green bell pepper: you can use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.

    Instead of basmati rice: you can use brown or jasmine rice, but you'll need to adjust the cook time. For brown rice, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. For jasmine rice, pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.

    Instead of chicken broth: you can also use vegetable broth. You can try using beef broth or water. However, beef broth might make the dish pretty heavy, while water may not provide as much flavor.

    ❄️ How to Store

    To store: Allow the rice to cool completely before scooping it into an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Store leftover dirty rice up to 5 days.

    To reheat: Reheat leftover rice by drizzling a small amount of water over top, then microwave for a minute or until the rice is warmed through.

    To freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

    🔍 FAQs

    Why is it called "dirty" rice?

    The term "dirty rice" comes from the rice's appearance after it is cooked. With the browned meat, spices, and vegetables, the white rice turns speckled and brown.

    What is in traditional or authentic dirty rice?

    There are many variations of dirty rice. But traditionally, the southern cajun recipe typically calls for ground pork sausage and chicken livers. Often, celery, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and creole or cajun seasonings are also added.

    To make this recipe a bit more attainable for the home cook, I swapped the ground sausage for ground beef and the chicken livers for bacon and chicken broth.

    Can I make this recipe on my stovetop instead?

    If you don't have an instant pot or pressure cooker, you can make this recipe on the stovetop instead.

    To make beef and bacon dirty rice on the stove, follow the directions in the same order, but use a large stock pot and increase the chicken broth to about 4 cups.

    After sautéing the bacon, beef, and vegetables according to the recipe instructions, bring the rice, broth, and other ingredients to a boil.

    Cover with a tight lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the heat and fluffing with a fork.

    💭 One More Tip

    To prevent the homemade beef and bacon dirty rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot, fluff it with a fork right after it's cooked, making sure to gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot.

    Don't let the cooked rice sit in the pot for very long. Instead, remove it entirely from the instant pot and serve it out of a large serving bowl or platter.

    Instant pot dirty rice in a bowl with a serving spoon, a black plate with some rice on it, and a skillet of cajun steak bites off to the side.
    I like to pair this dirty rice with my marinated cajun steak bites!

    🍴 Related Recipes

    • Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
    • Instant Pot Spanish Rice
    • Perfect Instant Pot Sushi Rice
    • The Best Balsamic Marinated Cajun Steak Bites

    Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

    📖 Recipe

    Dirty rice garnished with parsley in a black bowl.

    Homemade Beef and Bacon Instant Pot Dirty Rice

    Dirty rice made with onions, bell peppers, ground beef and bacon. This recipe comes together in under 30 minutes with the help of your instant pot!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 minutes
    Instant Pot Pressurizing: 16 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 316kcal
    Author: Alana Lieberman
    Cost: $15

    Equipment

    • instant pot or pressure cooker

    Ingredients

    • 2 strips of bacon
    • 1 lb ground beef (90/10)
    • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
    • 1 yellow onion chopped
    • 3 celery ribs chopped
    • 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 jalapeño, optional seeded and chopped
    • 2 cups basmati rice
    • 2 ⅓ cups low sodium chicken broth
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ½ tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • a dash of cayenne
    • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley chopped

    Instructions

    • On the sauté setting of your instant pot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to a clean plate covered with a paper towel to absorb any extra grease. Set aside.
    • With the sauté setting still on, add the ground beef and worcestershire sauce to the pot and cook the beef in the bacon grease until almost cooked through.
    • Add onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeño (if using) to the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the onion becomes soft and slightly translucent.
    • While, the vegetables are cooking, crumble the bacon into small pieces.
    • Add bacon to the pot, along with the rice, chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
    • Cover with the lid, place the valve in the sealing position, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
    • When the time is up, allow the dirty rice to naturally release for 15 minutes before switching the valve to the venting position and manually releasing the rest of the pressure.
    • Fluff rice with a fork, remove the bay leaf, and mix in freshly chopped parsley before serving.

    Storage

    • To store: Allow the rice to cool completely before scooping it into an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Store leftover dirty rice up to 5 days.
      To reheat: Reheat leftover rice by drizzling a small amount of water over top, then microwave for a minute or until the rice is warmed through.
      To freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

    Notes

    1. If you don't have an instant pot or pressure cooker, you can make this recipe on the stovetop instead.
      To make beef and bacon dirty rice on the stove, follow the directions in the same order, but use a large stock pot and increase the chicken broth to about 4 cups.
      After sautéing the bacon, beef, and vegetables according to the recipe instructions, bring the rice, broth, and other ingredients to a boil.
      Cover with a tight lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the heat and fluffing with a fork.
    2. To prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot, fluff it with a fork right after it's cooked, making sure to gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. Don't let the cooked rice sit in the pot for very long. Instead, remove it entirely from the instant pot and serve it out of a large serving bowl or platter.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Anna

      July 30, 2021 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! The instant pot makes it so quick and easy. Plus the rice came out perfectly.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        August 02, 2021 at 2:45 pm

        I'm definitely a huge fan of the instant pot too. Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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