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a shallow bowl of reddish tomato long-grain rice with sliced okra, diced red bell pepper and four browned round beef meatballs resting on the rice
Melissa Hart

Cajun Beef Meatballs and Okra Rice

Brown the meatballs before the rice goes into the pan, then let them finish gently above the tomato broth while the grains absorb it. That order gives the beef a crust without asking you to stir a skillet full of raw rice and fragile meatballs at the same time. Okra makes the rice slightly silky, which is welcome here, but slice it while it's still frozen if you want cleaner pieces and less sticky preparation. This is a tomato-and-okra dinner with whole meatballs, so its texture and flavor stay separate from the liver-seasoned dirty rice even though both use the familiar onion, celery and pepper combination.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 celery rib diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 8 oz frozen sliced okra

Method
 

  1. Mix beef, egg, breadcrumbs, paprika, oregano, thyme, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Shape into sixteen even meatballs.
  2. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs for 5 to 6 minutes, turning twice; transfer to a plate, keeping their raw centers for the covered cooking step.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, celery and pepper in the skillet for 5 minutes. Add garlic and rice and stir for 1 minute.
  4. Add tomatoes with their juices, broth, okra and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a steady simmer, then arrange the meatballs over the rice.
  5. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 23 minutes without stirring, until rice is tender and meatballs reach 160°F at their centers. Add 2 tablespoons water and cook covered for another 3 minutes if the rice is still firm and the pan is dry.
  6. Remove from heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice around the meatballs and serve four meatballs with each portion.