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Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp

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A healthier twist on a Cajun classic, the addition of shrimp turns this “dirty brown rice” into a fabulous main dish.

A healthier twist on a Cajun classic, the addition of shrimp turns this "dirty brown rice" into a fabulous main dish. I'd like to think of this as a Cajun shrimp fried rice. With Mardi Gras ending tomorrow, I thought this would be the perfect timing to share this recipe from the archives because I LOVE this dish!

Dirty Rice

Dirty rice is a classic Cajun dish made “dirty” by cooking the rice with minced livers or gizzards. I created a healthier version using brown rice and lean ground beef in place of the chicken livers that normally make dirty rice “dirty”. I’d like to think of this as a Cajun shrimp fried rice.

This healthier version does not skimp on flavor! It has plenty of spices and a bit of kick, you can adjust the heat to your taste but don’t be shy with the cayenne if you can handle it!

Normally a rice dish like this if made with white rice would be cooked all in one pot, but after several attempts to perfect this I found that cooking the brown rice all together created an unpleasant mushy texture. By cooking the brown rice separate, the texture of the rice was perfect when mixed with the beef and shrimp and made a delicious main dish even my “non-brown rice eating” husband enjoyed.

A healthier version of dirty rice using brown rice and lean ground beef – delicious!
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Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp

5 from 13 votes
7
Cals:346.5
Protein:28
Carbs:44
Fat:6
A healthier twist on a Cajun classic, the addition of shrimp turns this "dirty brown rice" into a fabulous main dish. I'd like to think of this as a Cajun shrimp fried rice. With Mardi Gras ending tomorrow, I thought this would be the perfect timing to share this recipe from the archives because I LOVE this dish!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
A healthier twist on a Cajun classic, the addition of shrimp turns this "dirty brown rice" into a fabulous main dish. I'd like to think of this as a Cajun shrimp fried rice. With Mardi Gras ending tomorrow, I thought this would be the perfect timing to share this recipe from the archives because I LOVE this dish!
Total: 45 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
Serving Size: 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
  • chicken bouillon cube, Knorr
  • 2 bay leaves, divided
  • 1/8 + 1/4 tsp cayenne, divided
  • 1/8 + 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 + 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 celery, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lb 96% lean ground beef, Laura's lean beef
  • salt and fresh pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 scallions, chopped

Instructions

  • Cook brown rice according to package directions in water along with a chicken bouillon, 1 bay leaf and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 each of salt, cayenne, paprika and thyme.
  • When the rice is almost done cooking, heat a large heavy saucepan on medium-low heat.
  • Add the oil, onions, green pepper, celery, bay leaf and garlic. Sauté on medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Add beef, salt, black pepper, remaining paprika, thyme and cayenne pepper.
  • Sauté until browned, about 10-15 minutes; add shrimp, cover and cook 5 more minutes.
  • When the rice is done, toss with beef and shrimp and combine well. Top with scallions and serve.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 1/3 cups, Calories: 346.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 44 g, Protein: 28 g, Fat: 6 g, Sodium: 151 mg, Fiber: 2.5 g, Sugar: 1 g

Categories:

Makes 6 1/2 cups.

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179 comments on “Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp”

  1. Avatar photo
    Diane Eichorst Carter

    I love this recipe. Easy to follow and definitely easy to eat or serve to guests. Even the left overs are super good.

  2. This was very tasty. I added a fresh jalapeno and a tomato and a shake of cajun spice to the shrimp before cooking. . We will have this again for sure.

      1. I know the WW plan changes as the years go by. Would this recipe still be 7 pts. for 1 1/3 cups. I just can’t figure out how it’s only 7 pts.

  3. Can & if so I substitute ground turkey or ground chicken? Has anyone done this ? Wondering which would taste better….

  4. Excellent meal. Used 3/4 lb ground beef. Doubled sauté & cooked beef & veg longer & cooked shrimp for 10 min.  Adjustments are probably my pans & stove.   Rice takes 45 min & cutting & cooking come out about same. Great taste. 

  5. This was delicious. I made it in the Instant Pot (did the brown rice first, then made everything else on saute mode). I made 3 cups of (uncooked) brown rice and left a little more than half in. Forgot to add the seasoning to rice before cooking so I added after. Didn’t have onions so I subbed in 1 tbsp of onion powder, didn’t have bay leaf so left out. Had jumbo shrimp so I cut them in half length-wise. No scallions so garnished with some parsley flakes. But followed everything else! It didn’t take quite as log as the estimates to get my peppers soft, or cook through the ground beef and shrimp, but everything came together very well. I was really pleased with the flavor – not too salty, just a little bit of a kick from the cayenne, but most importantly, there was great depth of flavor. Could not tell it was brown rice. Didn’t feel heavy at all. Will definitely have to make this again! Shared the recipe with the Instant Pot Community and received almost 100 shares and over 200 likes so that might drive up the traffic here :). Thank you for the great recipe!

  6. Avatar photo
    Jennifer Dewitt

    Love this recipe! Made a while back and just now found it again. After reading through the directions i noticed under #1 that you say to add 1/4 tsp of salt AND another 1/8 tsp of salt. That seems like a typo so could you clarify for me on the salt amounts?

  7. Hi Gina, your recipes are amazing! I am doing freestyle. How many Freestyle points per serving if I use ground turkey instead of beef.  Thank you so much. 
    Kathy

  8. Toy really should specify what type of green peopl pepper should be used. There are many types of green pepper.

  9. Avatar photo
    Alisa Panvini

    Made this for dinner and it was amazing and my whole family loved it!! It had a lot of flavor and texture. I will definitely be making this again!

  10. Avatar photo
    Darlene Hardin

    I followed your recipes faithfully and I have every recipe I have tried. I lost 50 pounds in 8 months and I have been delighted. I am back to find more new and exciting WW recipes. My whole family loves the DIRTY BROWN RICE WITH SHRIMP. It is a family favorite. Thanks for sharing these recipes with us. I do not like the New WW. But thanks to you I can still keep up with my points. 

  11. Pingback: Skinnytaste Meal Plan (February 12-February 18) | Site Title

  12. Really delicious! Another winner! My hubby really liked it and asked that it go into regular rotation. Thanks!

  13. Made this twice in the last week! So good, everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for creating this recipe.

  14. Made into the T! It was an excellent recipe. I often struggle with brown rice, this was a pleasure to eat. Made it a second time, substituted green bell pepper for seeded jalapinos, it was GREAT. 

  15. Just tried this with Andouille Sausage instead of ground beef… wow!!! So so good! Wee bit spicy but I’m also a wimp 🙂

  16. Made this last night. It was incredibly delicious. I used black rice (what I had on hand) and very thinly sliced chorizo in substitution of the ground beef. yum!

  17. I never leave comments when I find recipes but his recipe was so delicious, nutritious flavorful  and healthy i just had to! I made it with a whole pond of ground turkey and it was a success!! I will look at more recipes on your site! Thanks! 

  18. I just made this for my family and everyone liked it! It's an easy recipe and a keeper for us now. Thanks!

    Jen

  19. Gina, can this be made as directed and then frozen to heat up and serve later? I am doing a freezer cooking day and have pulled this recipe to make- again! We made it once before and it was delicious and loved it! Wondering this time if I could freeze it? thank you!

  20. Avatar photo
    Kelly Whitney

    Gina I made this last night per recipe and it was outstanding! I am enjoying your website and have your chicken taco chili in the crock pot today. I am trying to lose weight and don't want to go on a crazy diet so I am trying out your recipes. Thank you for so many of them to chose from!

  21. holy cow, what did I do wrong? I made this last night and all I could taste was the chili powder. I double checked to be sure I had read the recipe right and I had.The taste was just mediocre and then the Chili pepper drowned out everything else. Everyone else's review says this is tasty, so I figure i must have done something wrong, but I wasn't overly excited about the flavors in it.

  22. I am making this for the second time as we speak. My husband LOVED it the first time I made it and has asked me several times to make it again! I will be having a few friends over for dinner and this will definitely be on the menu! So glad I found this website!

  23. Avatar photo
    bc806c5c-afc4-11e3-a5fc-000bcdcb8a73

    I made this tonight! It was fantastic! I only had small celery stalks so I included the tops and the leaves – gave it a nice taste. I would make this again and not change a thing. Now I have to find a recipe to use the other 1/2 # of meat I defrosted. 🙂

  24. My husband made this the other night and it was amazing! We are making this a regular dish in our house. Thanks!

  25. Amazing dish! I made this last night and even my food snob husband was impressed! Only thing he added was garlic powder! For leftovers, I cut the shrimp in pieces and put 1/2 a serving in a green pepper bowl (the whole serving would have probably fit in a whole green pepper easily). Oh my goodness this was so good! I've lost a total of 55 pounds with WW, but currently I am stalled in a plateau, but your recipes help keep myself in check and the weight off! I gave your website to all my friends on instagram LOL ! Thank you so much Gina!

  26. I am trying to get more into meal planning to help cut down on time spent in the kitchen. This is on my meal plan for this week and I was wondering how it tastes the next day? Some dishes are better the day after and I would love to make ahead some of my meals. This is on the menu for tomorrow but wouldnt mind starting today. Also do you think it would freeze well? I like to freeze left overs in small portions to take out for a lunch etc. Thanks!

    1. To answer your question about prepping ahead of time, that is exactly what I did for this recipe. I washed and chopped the onion, celery, and pepper and put them into a zip-loc bag. I also measured out the spices (for both steps) and put into little food prep containers that I have.Then, when I get home from work, all I have to do is assemble. All the cleaning, chopping, and measuring are already done!

      I tend to do this for most of my weeknight recipes. I prep everything on Sunday when I have more time.

  27. Made this Tues as an homage to Fat Tues. It was great. Spiced perfectly. Not too hot. I did use lean ground beef. I dont do turkey.

  28. I just made this but by accident I added a whole pound of lean ground turkey.. Do you have any suggestions on how much i should have as a serving size to keep calories below 400????

  29. Fabulous! Used the long cooking brown rice and now I am a convert! Tossed out the quick cooking stuff. Great recipe! A keeper! I used 1/2 pound ground chicken, because that is what I had on hand. Will not hesitate to throw in a whole pound!

    1. Ground turkey works quite well. I made it tonight and it was great. Also using it without the shrimp for stuffed peppers.

  30. Avatar photo
    Gerry Brearley

    Weight Watchers points seem to be 9. Looks so good, just eat with a big salad, if you are counting points. I'm of Simply Filing program and will enjoy me meal. Thanks for the recipe.

  31. This sounds so good! I'm going to substitute beef with ground turkey, but everything else sounds amazing. Can't wait to make it for dinner tonight!

  32. Yummmmmm!! I grew up in Louisiana and this dish takes me home! I love that you came up with a skinny version! 🙂

    www.appetitesanonymous.com

  33. This looks amazing! I love cajun food, and I try to bring spice to my diet as much as possible, as I know it helps with reducing inflammation from my running. As an elite athlete I try to make my diet as varied as possible, and need to include more shrimp, this would be great! Thanks for the recipe!

  34. May I suggest a great way to cook long grain brown rice. It is a Alton Brown recipe and it works perfectly every time. It will not be "crunchy" as someone noted.

    Preheat oven to 375 f. For this recipe using 1 1/2 C uncooked brown rice, boil 2 1/2 C cooking liquid (depending on what goes with the rice I use part water, part stock) along with seasoning ingredients. The ratio of rice to liquid is 3:5. In a oven proof casserole with lid, mix the hot liquid with the rice, cover, and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and fluff with a fork to separate grains.

  35. Avatar photo
    Marianne K. (flyfriend)

    I am confused about salt in the instructions. There is no salt in the ingredients. HELP!

  36. Liver and gizzards are unhealthy? News to me! Wish I'd known that when I was a child and my mom forced me to eat those chewy leathery meats. Though as an adult not overcooking them I have grown fond of iron-rich organ meats.

  37. I am very big on eating healthy and this brown rice and shrimp is perfect after my morning workouts. I also found a spinach artichoke recipe to compliment this rice in by diet plan. The cajun twist to this healthy meal is what I love most.

  38. Avatar photo
    Kate @Almond Butter Binge

    YUM! My fiance loves Cajun food…and I love shrimp, so this dish would work so well for us 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!

  39. My husband and kids won't touch shrimp 🙁 Would love some more family friendly fish recipes rather than shrimp.

  40. Avatar photo
    Jill - aka the JM

    This was ANOTHER delicious and family-pleasing recipe! Is it noon yet? I can't wait to get at the leftovers!

  41. Avatar photo
    Carol Garrett

    Had this for dinner tonight and I think it is my new favorite Skinnytaste recipe! Glad that I read the comment about using regular brown rice and not instant….well worth the extra cooking time. I also used chicken broth instead of water and bouillon cube as was suggested. Great spicy taste and very filling!! So glad I tried this one!

  42. Avatar photo
    Kim Martineau

    Just made this delicious dish for dinner and it was a huge hit in my house! I left out the cayenne though as my kids are not into hot and spicy 🙂 Was still fabulous! Will definitely make this again! Family approved!

  43. I just made this and it is absolutely excellent. I will definitely add to my favorites and make it again. Delicious.

  44. I'm pretty sure I've commented on this already, but I just made this recipe for the 4th or 5th time. It is hands down one of the best WW compliant recipes I've ever been able to find online. It satisfies almost every craving I have…. Meet, Cajun food, Seafood and it is FILLING! Plus it heats up well for leftovers that I dont ever get sick of. If there is one suggestion I can make to people, it would be to NOT use instant brown rice, even if its not boil in the bag. I've tried it both ways and the longer cook time brown rice comes out way more flavorful because it has more time to cook w the spices and the bouillon.

    Thank you for posting this recipe and running this site in general. My fiance and I have lost about 20 lbs each by cooking your recipes almost exclusively for dinner. Keep up the good work!

  45. Loved this recipe! Great for the whole family… My husband, 5 yr, and 2 yr olds ate this right up. Love your site… Every recipe I have made has been delicious 🙂

  46. Made this tonight and it was delicious!! I usually don't like brown rice, but you couldn't even tell it was brown in this dish.

  47. Avatar photo
    Lindsay Gietzen

    Made this tonight and my husband absolutely loved it. I thought it was very tasty as well. A very hearty dish and filling for 9 points plus. Will be making it again. Followed the recipe almost exactly- just substituted mushrooms for the green pepper- because I don't like green pepper. The mushrooms added great flavor!I also made the rice in my rice maker which made things easy. Thanks Gina 🙂

  48. Avatar photo
    Beggarsnthieves

    Holy Crap! I'm literally eating this right now and had to grab my laptop. MAKE THIS RECIPE! It is by far the best WW compliant meal I've ever made. My fiance and I totally just housed our serving and are full and satisfied.

  49. Okay…another winner!. After trying the Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts which turned out fantastic by the way, this Dirty Brown Rice & Shrimp was second on my agenda to prepare- this was excellent, perfect amount of spices, my boyfriend loves spicy food, likes to add the hot sauce on most anything..but he didn't need to with this dish…"hallelujah"!. Thanks again Gina.

  50. Gina, this was awesome!!!! My husband who must be the pickest person and will not try anything new, liked it. That is truly saying something. This is not the first recipe I tried and it certainly will not be the last. Thank you.

  51. made this up last night for dinner and it was awesome ! Will be making this one again and again.
    I used Ground Red Cayenne Pepper and it was plenty hot for us. Hubby started to add some Hot Sauce – made him taste it first and he agreed it did not need a thing !
    I started to hold off on the shrimp – but so glad I didn't. Oh man oh man what a great combination !

  52. Used the entire pound of ground beef. Not spicy enough for us so I did add a bit of Cajun seasoning… Delicious… Will definitely make again! Served w steamed French green beans and rolls.

  53. Just made this, it was incredible! I love dirty rice and this turned out perfectly. I tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes and I couldn't stop snacking on it before the rice was finished. Definitely going to be a staple in my house.

  54. I made this last night for my husband (who doesn't like dirty rice) and myself. He inhaled it! One thing I accidentally did was use a whole pound of ground beef but to me, if I hadn't I feel that there would have been too much rice and not enough dirty 🙂 But this was VERY GOOD! I love your recipes! Thank you for doing what you do!

  55. Just finished eating this for dinner. It kicks butt. Hope it freezes well as only 2 of us where eating it. It is definitely a keeper and I can't wait to make it for company. The only thing I did differently is cook the rice in no sodium added chicken broth and skipped the high sodium Knorr

  56. Jennifer – I finally broke down 2 weeks ago and bought a programmable rice maker. I can cook and bake almost anything, but rice. It was the best the best $25 I've spent. It has a setting for both white and brown rice. It comes out perfect every time. If you can spring for Nishiki or Kokuho Rose rice, it tastes just like the sticky rice you get from any Thai restaurant.

  57. Made this on Monday for dinner! It was AWESOME!! The only thing I did differently than the original recipe was reduce the rice to 1 cup instead of 1.5. When I plugged the recipe into my WW recipe builder, it ended up at 6 pts per serving (@5 servings)! I will definitely, definitely, definitely be making this again!!

  58. I made this tonight with my friend and it was DELICIOUS!! The spices melded nicely. Thank you for the recipe.

  59. Looks delicious, I love the pairing of ground beef & shrimp. What vegetables or sides would go well with this?

  60. Gina- HELP!! Everytime I make brown rice it turns out crunchy, even when following the directions on the pkg to the t.
    My family is now turned off by brown rice because I have never had it turn out right.. Do you know a trick? Is there a rice I can sub it out for without increasing the point value? Love your recipes BTW!! 🙂 JENNIFER

  61. Avatar photo
    Rebeca @ The Average Parent

    Just finished this for tonight's dinner. It was delicious. i'm not a big cajun fan, but this was really tasty. The flavor wasn't overpowering at all. I added some hot sauce and hubby and I both had seconds.

  62. Made this last night. Too late (aka, I was too lazy to go to the store) I realized I had no paprika and no cayenne. It was still utterly awesome. Another Win, Gina!

  63. Made this tonight, it was wonderful! I used chicken instead of beef. Hubby's lent is no beef right now, but it still tasted great. Thanks again!

  64. Made this as directed last night and thought it was fabulous! Hubby tends to like things with a little more liquid/saucy so he thought it was a little dry (he was wrong, lol). To solve his problem he added a bit of tobasco and a bit of smokey salsa. WIN, WIN!!

  65. I made this last night with ground turkey rather than beef and it was excellent! My husband really loved the flavors and we have tons of leftovers for lunches. Thank you!

  66. I have already tried several of your recipes, and they were all fabulous! Even my pickiest loved it, this dish looks like another winner! Thanks Gina 🙂

  67. I wanted to make this but we didn't have any ground beef in the house and we're not shrimp people – I decided to swap sausage for ground beef and chicken for shrimp and it was amazing. My husband has claimed all the leftovers as lunch for the rest of the week and is refusing to share.

  68. Just found your blog for the first time, and this does look very yummy, but I'm curious as to why you think using lean ground beef is healthier than using chicken livers? I see that you've been featured by other sites or magazines, so I know you're respected source for "skinny" recipes, so I would think you would know that chicken livers are healthier than even the leanest beef. A 3.5 oz serving of chicken liver has 172 calories, 6g fat, 26 g protein vs a slightly smaller 3 oz serving of 96% lean beef that has 208 calories, 13 g fat, and 22 g protein. Now if you're just using beef because you don't like liver (which many people don't), then that's a whole other thing entirely. Anyway, like I said, it looks delicious, and I will try it, I just think people should have all the facts. 🙂 I don't have a blog to leave this comment, and I don't want to leave it as Anonymous, so here's my email if you think I'm the one who's misinformed. brinkerbarry@gmail.com

    1. Organ meats such as livers & gizzards may be less in calories but they are high in LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol, the one that increases your chance of heart disease & heart attack. Lean ground beef is lower in LDL cholesterol and is therefore healthier than organ meats. Just because calories are lower doesn't mean something is healthier. There are many other factors to consider.

  69. Wow…. for someone that does not like seafood that often, my husband loved it… Thank you I love your blog

  70. Made this for my kids (10 & 6), my hubby, my sister, and my parents for tonight's dinner. It was delicious and truly enjoyed by all. Thanks for yet another FABULOUS dinner, Gina!

  71. LOVED this recipe. I made it exactly as the recipe calls for and it was the perfect amount of spice for me (I typically do not like really hot food). This is a definite do over.

  72. I made this tonight minus the shrimp because my boys will not eat this as a main dish so I served it on the side with some grilled tuna steaks. The only thing I changed besides omitting the shrimp was use smoked paprika because it's all I had. It was delicious and it was devoured. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful and delicious recipes.

  73. Just made this tonight and I forgot to cook the rice with all of the extra ingredients. so before I mixed it up with the meat mixture I sprinkled some paprika and thyme in it and mixed it up. I am kind of glad I did it this way since it kept it not so spicy but still flavorful. If I weren't serving this to my kids I would have spiced it up more. Maybe some tabasco on the side will do for my husband and I (haven't served it yet). Anyway, I used turkey and it came out great.

  74. Avatar photo
    Alexa Rae Stone

    Wow! This looks so good! I can't wait to try this! I've been looking for something cajin style too. How creative. thanks!!

  75. So excited you're doing cajun recipes!! I have been toying with a chicken and sausage gumbo recipe, but that one is tough to get the points down because of the oil & flour roux! I'm sure you can do it though! This dirty rice looks great and I think I'll try it tonight!! Love your site!

    1. I've started using Tony Chachere's dry roux mix. No oil. You just boil water, dump in the dry mix, stir, and INSTANT ROUX. I use 1/2 the recipe as indicated on the can for a HUGE pot of gumbo.

  76. Avatar photo
    Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers

    This dish looks so amazing! This covers it all beef for hubby and shrimp for me! I love it!!! Have to make this soon!

  77. oh man!!! I SOOOO need to buy some shrimp!! Banging good shrimp, this, and yesterdays cajun chicken and pasta(and shrimp!)

  78. I have made so many of your recipes and have loved almost every one of them. I really appreciate this site and check it everyday. The last couple posted have been pretty high in points (8 or more). With only being allowed 26 points per day you really have to budget!

  79. this looks fabulous and my kids LOVE shrimp!!! I don't think I really wanted to know about what made it dirty rice though. ;0) LOL! This sounds much better and I would definitely use ground chicken or turkey. It is just what you like best.

  80. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    @Diana- If there is any fat I would always drain it.

    Hillary, sure if beef isn't for you, use ground turkey to dirty it up.

    Or Kristine, you could always leave it out if you wish.

    Arlyne, if you like short grain rice, that would be great too!

  81. Avatar photo
    Sarah @ The Healthy Diva

    I've never made anything like this before…I think i need to try cajun cuisine! Love the healthy twist with brown rice 🙂

  82. Avatar photo
    Monique Cheney

    Made this dish tonight and a sub turkey for the beef…actually turned out really good. Spicy thought..very spicy.Oh I omitted the celery and green pepper only b/c I don't like either of them and it still turned out good. Thanks for this recipe.

  83. Avatar photo
    This Just In PR and Photography

    We made it tonight as well – and it was fantastic. We added a little heat with some Tabasco sauce and Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce (it has a great kick). My kids loved it too! Thanks!

  84. This looks amazing & I can't wait to try it!! Do you think short grain brown rice would be ok, or should I use long grain? ( I always keep short grain in the house)

  85. Avatar photo
    Brenda the Barefootcookingirl

    this looks amazing!

    BTW – Wal-mart also sells a 96/4 ground beef with their own label….. 🙂

  86. I'm wondering where I can get 96% lean ground beef – I've never seen beef that lean. I live in Canada…perhaps they don't carry that stuff here??

    1. usually they make a 93% but if you cant find it then just get what is closest and rinse the meat after browning.

    2. You could also grind your own meat to get it even leaner. Thats what I do. I buy really lean steaks, cut off all the fat then grind it. My ground beef is always super lean and it's cheaper then buying the 96% or even the 93% sometimes.

  87. You should be able to make this with faux-beef (feef?) crumbles if you want to skip on the beef. I've done a similar recipe for a vegetarian potluck (without the shrimp, though), and it turned out really well. A tiny bit of ground sausage would also work if you just aren't a fan of beef.

  88. Hillary, yes ground turkey is fine. I've even used ground soy crumbles. Just remember to add a tablespoon of olive oil because both ground soy and turkey are fat free meats and the resulting dish can turn out very dry.

  89. Avatar photo
    Hilliary@ Happily Ever Healthy

    This looks delicious! I want to make this, do you think that ground Turkey would be just as good (I am not a red meat person!)?

  90. This looks fantastic. Can't wait to try it. Quick question: Even though you are using lean ground beef, do you need to drain the fat off before adding the Shrimp? Not sure how much will be in the pan with only a 1/2 pound.
    BTW – LOVE your site and the recipes. Both hubby and I have recently joined WW and we have already made several dishes. All tasty and healthy!

    1. I started WW online about 3 weeks ago. I found out about this site after reading a post on the WW site. I must say this site has tons of recipe options with GREAT pictures and step by step instructions. I LOVE THIS SITE. The next step is to actually prepare some of the recipes.

  91. Oh wow! I can taste it from here.
    Thanks for skinnifying Cajun dishes. I lived in Louisiana for a good while and I love their dishes ….Please keep Cajun dishes coming.

    1. If you cant afford it then just get what you can and make sure after it is done cooking you rinse the meat. It takes the extra fat away.

    2. Can you get the lean ground beef at your butcher counter and order exactly what is needed or a little less? That is what I do and it is usually only a couple dollars and I can spread it out to last 2 meals.

    3. I bought 1/2 lb of extra lean ground beef and it cost me 2.65. 8 live in I live in Michigan and shop at Meijer.

    4. You could try brown lentils instead of the mince. If that's too much fiber for you then you could switch the rice back to white rice.

    5. Use a salad spinner to get the fat out from cooked beef. Brown your ground beef like normal, then drain into a metal strainer or something that can take the heat. After it cools some ( able to touch ) then put in a salad spinner, spin as much as your arm will allow. You would be amazed how much fat will get out.

    6. Just an FYI. On the new WW points, in this amount 93% is no more points. I thought there used to be more of a difference, on the old point system. I don't even bother with the 95 or 96% anymore based on points.