Cajun Meatballs and Dirty Rice Meal Prep
Meal prepping is a great way to get ahead of the week! And for this full course meal, I paired tender Cajun meatballs, dirty rice, and a fresh cucumber & tomato salad with a homemade vinaigrette. These recipes can be made in advance and enjoyed later or throughout the week.
This post has been written in partnership with Success Rice. All opinions are mine alone.
Well, our “normal” has officially changed… again. With our daughter starting high school and our son starting kindergarten, we have a whole lot going on! Between my daughter’s soccer practices and games, my son growing accustomed to his new schedule, and my wife and I trying to make it all work — we knew we had to change up our evening routine. And because our time is minimal, meal prepping has become our new normal.
Meal prepping is a great way to kick off a week without the hassle of trying to plan and cook a new meal every single night. You can make a few different items and enjoy them as a whole, or even pair them with different dishes.
This meal prep recipe idea combines cajun meatballs (using a combination of ground beef and ground turkey to make them a bit healthier than the traditional), Louisiana-style dirty rice made with ground beef and chicken gizzards, and a fresh cucumber salad mixed with cherry tomatoes and served with a homemade vinaigrette.
All these recipes are super simple to make, and that holds especially true when it comes to the rice. The dirty rice is so flavorful, and Success Rice makes it’s a breeze every single time! And because Success Rice is ready in 10 minutes, it makes it a no-brainer for any meal prep.
Every time I make dirty rice, it reminds me of home. I mean, you must have dirty rice in the “Dirty South!” 🙂
Ingredients you’ll need to make this meal prep:
- For the dirty rice, you’ll need one family-size bag of Success Rice, olive oil, minced garlic, celery, green bell pepper, white onion, fresh parsley, chicken gizzards, ground beef, Himalayan pink salt, Creole seasoning, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, ground ginger, and chicken broth.
- For the meatballs, you’ll need green bell pepper, white onion, ground beef, ground turkey, Louisiana hot sauce, panko breadcrumbs, an egg, Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, and garlic powder.
- For the cucumber salad, you’ll need one whole cucumber, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, ground mustard, brown sugar, black pepper, and oregano.
Meal Prep FAQs
I would recommend using leakproof glass containers with thick, durable glass with airtight lids. I prefer the snap-down lids. Also, glass containers with 2 or more compartments are great to keep individual dishes separated, and it also helps control the portions.
This meal will last between 3 to 5 days in the fridge. You’ll want to allow the meatballs and dirty rice to come to room temperature before storing them.
You should purchase your gizzards cleaned from your grocer. This way, you’ll only need to remove the silverskin membrane on either side of the meat before cutting the meat into small pieces for this recipe. If you don’t have access to chicken gizzards, you can also use chicken livers. If you don’t like chicken gizzards to livers, simply add more ground beef.
This meal idea is a perfect way to kick your week off. Give those nightly dinner duties a break and try these easy recipes on for size. It will save a lot of time, eliminate those last-minute grocery runs, and it may even keep you from eating an unhealthy meal when you are in search of something to eat quickly.
Cajun Meatballs and Dirty Rice Meal Prep
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Meal prepping is a great way to head ahead of the week! And for this full course meal, I paired tender Cajun meatballs, dirty rice, and a fresh cucumber & tomato salad with a homemade vinaigrette.
Ingredients
For the Cajun Dirty Rice:
- 1 Success Rice, family size bag
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup celery, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup chicken gizzards, finely chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth
For the Cajun Meatballs:
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large organic egg
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
For the cucumber & tomato salad:
- 1 whole cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. ground mustard
- 3 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
Instructions
For Cajun Dirty Rice:
- Cook the Success Rice as instructed and set to the side.
- Add the olive oil and garlic to a saute pan at medium heat. Stir. Add chopped celery, green bell pepper, onion, and parsley, and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the green bell peppers are soft.
- Add chopped chicken gizzards to the saute pan and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes before adding ground beef, Himalayan pink salt, Creole seasoning, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, and ground ginger. Stir together.
- Cook ground beef until browned, then add Success Rice to the saute pan. Fold the ingredients together.
- Pour chicken broth into the saute pan and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
For the Cajun Meatballs:
- Place the green bell pepper and onion in a food processor (paid link), then pulse until finely blended.
- Add ground beef, ground turkey, Louisiana hot sauce, panko breadcrumbs, egg, Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground thyme, garlic powder in a large bowl and mix.
- Form into ground beef into palm-sized meatballs, then place on a baking sheet (paid link).
- Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
For the Cucumber Salad:
- Add cucumbers and cherry tomatoes into a bowl.
- Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, ground mustard, brown sugar, black pepper, and oregano in a separate bowl. Whisk (paid link) together until well combined and pour over the cucumber and tomatoes.
Notes
You should purchase your gizzards cleaned from your grocer. This way, you’ll only need to remove the silverskin membrane on either side of the meat before cutting the meat into small pieces for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Comfort Food
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 315
- Sugar: 1.3g
- Sodium: 1039mg
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 28.3g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 26.6g
- Cholesterol: 68mg
Keywords: Cajun Meatballs and Dirty Rice Meal Prep, meal prep, meal prepping