Baked Charleston Red Rice with Sausage

An iconic side dish from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Charleston red rice has a distinct grain and gets its signature flavor and color from bacon and tomato paste. Slightly sweet with a little kick, this side dish goes with nearly any Southern entree!

A small bowl of Charleston red rice with sausage with two forks in front of a cast iron skillet

Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, there are a few foods I’ve known my whole life that are unique to the area. Going to Bessingers BBQ for a Sunday brunch of cornbread, pulled pork and mustard-based BBQ sauce, making a Lowcountry boil with freshly-caught shrimp and crabs, and enjoying the absolute creamiest bowl of shrimp and grits at The Old Post Office restaurant on Edisto Island are all fond (and delicious) memories from my childhood.

But ever-present alongside all those delicious entrees, quietly out of the spotlight, there was always Charleston red rice.

Red rice is one of the most ubiquitous Charleston-specific dishes you’ll find at local restaurants (and, I’d think, hardly anywhere else) apart from shrimp and grits. It’s a staple side dish of rice cooked in bacon grease and tomato paste, which gives it its signature flavor and color. As my mom described it, it’s a little sweet (mostly from the tomato paste) and a little spicy, but not spicy enough to overwhelm the sweet that comes from the tomato paste.I like it best when it has little bits of smoked sausage in it, along with bell peppers and onions.

A hand with knife cuts green bell peppers on a wooden cutting board with smoked sausage and diced onions

While you can put more “stuff” in the rice if you’d like, it’s best to think of the sausage, bacon, and veggies as flavoring for the rice rather than the main focus. The rice itself is the heart of the dish.

That’s why it took me so long to perfect this recipe. Rice isn’t hard to make so it tastes good, but if you are trying to go for a specific outcome or texture, it can be the most finicky thing in the world! (See my recipe for Weeknight Skillet Chicken and Chorizo Paella — It’s crazy delicious and easy but I never could get a consistent socarrat — the crusty bits — in a cast iron pan!)

A cast iron skillet of Charleston red rice

When I think of my ideal Charleston red rice, the grains of rice are all separate, and not at all sticky.

Years ago I made a Charleston red rice-inspired dish that contained basically the same ingredients, but had a texture more like jambalaya. It was so good and I never got tired of the leftovers, but I could never feel confident calling it Charleston red rice because it was more sticky or saucy than the rice I enjoyed at various Charleston restaurants.

Overhead view of Charleston red rice with bacon and sausage in a cast iron skillet and small bowl with two forks

I kind of forgot about trying to make it for a while until recently when I wanted to make some rice to accompany blackened salmon on the grill. I’d been making garlic herb rice as my go-to but I felt like red rice would go perfectly with a nice fillet of blackened fish. I scrounged up what I had on hand in the pantry and gave a half-hearted attempt at Charleston red rice in the rice cooker.

It was terrible. It was way too sticky and way too sweet. I couldn’t even eat it all and we ended up throwing out the leftovers.

But it rekindled my desire to make a good, authentic Charleston red rice at home. So I tested relentlessly until I got it right.

Closeup overhead view of Charleston red rice in a cast iron skillet

First I got the flavor down, and it was divine. My husband and I devoured it.

It was stickier than I wanted, but maybe it could be sticky? Maybe having utterly separate grains of rice was just a personal preference and not requisite for making an authentic Charleston red rice.

I tried to reason myself into calling the recipe good enough. Then I called my mom.

“One more thing,” I said to her before we wrapped up our conversation. “Describe to me your perfect Charleston red rice.”

“DRY,” she said immediately and emphatically. The texture was the main thing she described to me. And at that first reply I knew I had to keep testing.

A fork lifts a bite Charleston red rice out of a small bowl of in front of a cast iron skillet

How to make rice not sticky

Since the texture I, and apparently my mother, associate with red rice is practically like the dry, crumbly grains you get with leftover white rice, I considered using that as a base for the recipe. But I knew it never would have been made that way historically, and I also didn’t want you to have to wait to chill rice before sautéing it in a pan like Asian fried rice. You need that red rice NOW, not tomorrow!

A hand gently swirls Carolina Gold rice in a bowl of water

So I looked up everything I could find on how to make dry rice — every way I could make it less sticky and more separate. I tried it all. I pulled out all the stops. And it was perfect.

It came down to seven (yes, seven!) things:

1. Use the right kind of rice.

A long grain rice will be the best for producing rice that’s not sticky, rather than a medium or short grain rice (perfect for making paella) or something like arborio rice, which would be used for risotto, the ultimate creamy rice. An aromatic rice like jasmine or basmati will have more distinct grains too, but would be inaccurate to use for Charleston red rice.

You can use either long grain rice for this recipe or Carolina Gold rice. For me, the long grain rice produced a drier end result but the Carolina Gold would be more authentic, since it’s the heritage grain that would have been grown here in the antebellum period when Charleston red rice was originally made. Carolina Gold is notoriously finicky though, with chameleon-like properties that allow it to be used for separate or sticky purposes.

I can find Carolina Gold rice at my local grocery stores but if you’re out of the region you can either order it on Amazon or from Anson Mills, a company that specializes in growing heritage crops of rice, corn, and other grains.

2. Rinse the uncooked rice. A LOT.

This removes excess loose starch that comes from uncooked grains of rice colliding with each other. Loose starch mixed with water makes a paste. Have you ever made flour paste or used cornstarch as a thickener? Basically the same thing happens with rice. So removing the excess starch removes that source of stickiness.

I rinse it by putting the dry rice in a bowl, covering with about an inch of cool water, and swirling it gently with my hand. Then strain in a fine mesh sieve and return the rice to the bowl. Repeat at least 3 more times until the water is mostly clear when swirling. In my experience, I needed about four rinses for long grain white rice and six for Carolina Gold rice.

The images below are of each rinse of Carolina Gold rice, after swirling with my hand. Notice you only start to be able to see the difference between the water and the rice after the third rinse, and you can only really see the rice after the 6th rinse. It’s like a photograph slowly coming into focus.

3. Sauté the uncooked rice in the bacon grease with the veggies for a couple minutes.

Sautéing the dry rice caramelizes any exterior starch remaining and toasts the grains a little for a more pilaf-style rice, which tends to be more separate. It also infuses the rice with flavor before you even add the liquid. And the fat helps keep the grains separate too, like adding a splash of olive oil to your pasta water.

A wooden spatula stirring uncooked white rice in a cast iron skillet with veggies, sausage, and tomato paste

4. Reduce the amount of added liquid.

If you read the back of the bag, long grain rice calls for a 1:2 ratio of rice to water. Not counting any added moisture from the tomato paste, this recipe ended up with a 2:3 ratio of rice to water. So, for 1 1/2 cups of rice, I’m using 2 1/4 cups of water instead of 3 cups (plus the additional moisture you get from the tomato paste).

You want just enough liquid so that the rice is fully cooked through when it’s all absorbed, and no more.

5. Agitate the rice as minimally as possible.

Okay, so I do agitate the rice when I’m sautéing it, but after adding the water you just want to give it enough of a stir so that it’s not just sitting on top of the rice. Loose exterior starch comes from grains of rice knocking against each other in the bag or pot. And loose exterior starch is what makes a sticky paste gluing your rice together instead of a fluffy rice with individual, distinct grains.

This is also why you shouldn’t stir the rice while it’s cooking, and why you want to fluff your rice with a fork rather than stirring with a spoon at the end.

Overhead view of Charleston red rice in a cast iron skillet

6. Cook it in the oven rather than on the stovetop or in a rice cooker.

The oven is a very dry environment for cooking that actively vents out steam, versus the moist environment of stovetop cooking.

7. Let the rice rest after cooking before you fluff it.

Much like letting a steak or chicken fillet rest after you cook it, letting rice rest before fluffing it allows the moisture to evenly redistribute throughout the grains of rice. And especially if you’re using a using a reduced amount of liquid, that redistribution period ensures your rice will be evenly cooked rather than having crunchy centers.

If you’re using an oven-safe lid instead of foil to cover your pan, you can briefly remove the lid, lay a clean dish towel over the top, and replace the lid during the rest period. That lets any excess steam get absorbed into the dish towel rather than raining back down into your rice from the condensation that forms.

Closeup of Charleston red rice with sausage in a small bowl

What to serve with Charleston red rice

Okay, so now you have your perfect red rice. Delicious and bacony, sweet from tomato paste and a touch of sugar, and with a kick from Frank’s red hot sauce, and with distinct grains and a lovely crusty bit from where the rice met the pan. So what do you serve it with?

Pair it with one of my favorite Southern entrees for a perfect Lowcountry dinner!

Try these other Charleston and Southern classics

4.80 from 25 votes

Baked Charleston Red Rice with Sausage

An iconic side dish from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Charleston red rice has a distinct grain and gets its signature flavor and color from bacon and tomato paste. Slightly sweet with a little kick, this side dish goes with nearly any Southern entree!
Print Recipe
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Yield: 5 1-cup side dish servings
Calories: 424kcal
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:45 minutes
Resting time:10 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups long grain rice preferably Carolina Gold rice
  • 3 slices thick cut bacon
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion diced small, about 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 green bell pepper diced small, about 1/2 cup
  • 6 oz beef smoked sausage diced small
  • 6 tbsp tomato paste half a 6-oz can, or 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp
  • 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Frank's red hot

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Rinse the rice by putting the rice in a medium bowl and covering with an inch of cool water. Gently swirl the rice in the water with a clean hand. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and return rice to the bowl. Repeat until water is mostly clear, a total of about 4-6 times (In my experience, regular long-grain rice required about 4 rinses while Carolina gold rice required 6). On the final rinse, leave the rice in the fine mesh sieve over the bowl so it can continue draining any excess water while you're cooking the bacon, veggies, and sausage.
  • In a large cast iron skillet, cook bacon over medium heat. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel, leaving the bacon grease in the skillet.
  • Add finely diced onion, bell pepper, and smoked sausage to the pan with the bacon grease. Sauté about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Add tomato paste, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper to the skillet and stir until everything is evenly coated in the tomato paste and spices.
  • Add uncooked rice to the mixture and stir until well coated. Continue cooking the dry rice over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the water and Frank's Red Hot to the rice mixture, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and crumble bacon into the pan.
  • Cover skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before removing the foil.
  • Fluff rice with a fork and enjoy as a side dish with your favorite Southern entree!

Video

Notes

Long grain white rice will yield a drier, more distinct grain than Carolina Gold rice.
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinchmeimeating or tag #pinchmeimeating on Instagram!

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 963mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 337IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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38 Comments

  1. Hello Caroline
    I live in St. Stephen, SC (45 minutes from N. Charleston). I heard about Carolina Gold Rice but never could find any. I’ve checked Walmart, Piggly Wiggly, Publix, KJ, IGA, etc. where do you get it from?

    1. Whole Foods often has it and it is available by mail from a lot of places including Marsh Hen Mills of Edisto Island. You might check Harris Teeter snd Fresh Market. I think I have sen it there.

      I usually make this recipe using “regular” or jasmine rice snd it is good.

    2. Hey Vanessa! I saw your question and double checked when I was at Harris Teeter this week. Usually I *don’t* find it near the other rice, but if there’s a section of local goodies like benne wafers and local jams it’s with that, and comes in a yellow bag. I took a photo of the shelf for you, so if you want to send me an email via the contact form I can reply and send you the photos. I believe it’s in the same sort of local section at other stores like Publix too. (I can check next time I’m there if you want)

  2. I was born and raised in Charleston. Graduated from Stall in 1985. I met my Navy husband and traveled. I have not been able to make the perfect red rice ever! This is the answer. I need to bake it! My water ratio was too high too. Can’t wait to try this! No red rice or chicken bog for me in NE Tennessee unless I make it! Lol

  3. 5 stars
    I made this recipe following the recipe exactly and it turned out really great! Question. I’m visiting my mother in a few weeks and wanted to make this for her, but I’m not sure whether she owns a cast iron skillet. Can I make this in a normal fry pan and transfer to a bake dish for the oven part?

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband loved it. So iam a new Yorker and userly ask my husband aunt to make me red rice, but I didn’t feel like waiting for it so looked up how to make it and your recipe was the second one I seen. I like how you cook use and and again so happy with the taste.

  5. 5 stars
    ok, don’t crucify me here.. I veganized this recipes, and it was excellent! I sautéed the veggies and vegan sausage in a hefty glug of olive oil instead of bacon grease and sprinkled in smoked sun dried tomatoes and a small amount of liquid smoke for the bacon right before baking. We picked up a bag of Carolina Gold rice the last time we were visiting Charleston, and this was the perfect way to use it! Thanks for the adaptable recipe.

    1. You know what, I think if you’re vegan you should be able to enjoy red rice just like the rest of us! I think smoked sun-dried tomatoes and liquid smoke sounds like a great bacon substitute for this recipe. Glad you liked it!

  6. 5 stars
    The color of your rice is much more red in the photograph than mine. Also I noticed this is true of other red rice recipes. This can only be achieved by using considerably more tomato paste than the recipe, what am I missing? I’m using Carolina gold rice.

  7. 5 stars
    Absolutely the best red rice ever!! All of the tricks and tips led to the perfect old school red rice. Better than any restaurant in town and I live in Charleston!!!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this last night and it’s incredible. I’ve always loved red rice and we ate it regularly growing up. At some point though it stopped being a staple, but with this recipe, I think it will become one again. My boyfriend and I no longer live in Charleston and this is a nice way to take home with us and share it with our daughter.

  9. I have been trying and trying to get the dry rice down. Im making your recipe sat. I have a question. Is parboiled rice, like Uncle Ben’s the same as long grain rice?

    1. Parboiled rice usually has a different cook time and amount of liquid required. While many recipes for Charleston Red Rice start with parboiled rice, this recipe calls for regular raw long grain white rice. I haven’t tested out the adjustments you’d have to make to the liquid and cook time if you used parboiled rice instead for this recipe!

  10. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe! Have made it several times now. The gold rice is not dry enough for me so I’ve done half and half with jasmine. If I were going to add fresh shrimp, how should I do that?

    1. Thanks for your comment and rating! I’d probably add the shrimp in the last 5-8 minutes of baking time, depending on the size of the shrimp (5 for small shrimp, 8-10 for large shrimp). They’re done when they’re opaque!

  11. 5 stars
    This recipe has become a weekly favorite! We actually made it twice in the same week recently. Everything about it is spot on…the flavors come together perfectly. Rinsing the rice is a must! Love the texture!

  12. In looking for a fabulous red rice recipe, I just came across this. I have not tried this recipe yet, but I too am born and raised in Charleston. I still live hear and have never left. Just thought it was neat to see a local recipe with other locals that have tried it since the internet is such a huge place. Off to attempt this now. Thank you:)

  13. 5 stars
    I am a 69-yo Charlestonian who was born, raised in Charleston and never left. Red rice is one of my favorite foods (next to fried chicken) and I order it when it’s on the menu. I have tried on multiple occasions to make. It was either too sticky or the rice was not done, This came out PERFECTLY. The recipe is now in my recipe box. The only thing I will do is add more salt (my taste). Good job! You made this Charlestonian very happy.

    Donna Ostrander

    P.S. I just wanted to let you know this is my first time writing a comment anywhere.

    1. Donna, thank you so much for your comment!! You made my day! I also live in Charleston, was born in Charleston, and have lived here for a total of about 2/3 of my life so I couldn’t quit testing until I got the recipe just right. I’m so glad you agree! <3

  14. 5 stars
    This is the best and easiest recipe for Red rice and sausage! I have made and tried so many recipes for southern red rice and sausage but this one is my favorite and the only one I use now! I follow the recipe to a T and it turns out perfect every time! My mom gave me her recipe but it’s made in a pot on the stove and is not as simple as this one! I have made this 3 times now and have told my mom about this recipe! I am a South Carolinian born and raised so I’ve had many varieties of red rice and this beats them all!

  15. This looks amazing & I can’t wait to try.. I am a huge fan of red beans and rice. Could you add beans to this and at what point? I’m definitely a cook by a recipe/instruction girl and that’s why I’m asking because I’d hate to mess it up 🙂

    1. Hi Amanda, You can definitely add red beans to this if you’d like, but I don’t know that it would be what you’re looking for in a red beans and rice recipe! I am not as familiar with red beans and rice (a Louisiana dish) as I am with Charleston red rice (which does not contain beans). If you wanted to add beans I’d probably add just before you add the rice so it all gets flavored and baked together.

      However, I’ve seen red beans and rice recipes involve a bean mash as well to impart creaminess, which is definitely not the texture of this dish at all! I’d probably recommend looking elsewhere if you want a traditional “red beans and rice” recipe, at least until I can do some tasting and research myself to write my own!

      That said, Charleston red rice is DELICIOUS and you should try this recipe as written if you’ve never had it! You may love it just as much as red beans and rice!

  16. 5 stars
    This recipe is SOO easy and SOOO goooood!! We were looking for some comfort food and thought this would be a great main dish.

    We doubled the recipe, made it in our All-Clad Sauce pan and used the lid instead of foil. It was absolutely PERFECT! First time I have ever cooked with tomato paste and the recipe wasn’t over seasoned at all. We will be doing a recipe every other day from Pinch Me, I’m Eating for 2 weeks (7 recipes).

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