Grand Canyon Casserole–rice with smoked sausage, green beans, garlic and cajun seasoning made fast in your Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Grand Canyon Casserole
I came across a recipe for grand canyon casserole and it’s ingredients were literally rice, smoked sausage and peas. (Truly I don’t understand the name of the recipe 🤷♀️). This sounded like a start to a recipe to me…but it definitely needed more flavor. With a few additional ingredients and swapping out the peas for green beans the recipe turned into a hearty, flavorful and quick weeknight dinner. This recipe reminds me of my famous Instant Pot Cajun Sausage, Potatoes And Green Beans except with rice instead of potatoes.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Butter
- Beef smoked sausage–or andouille cajun sausage or kielbasa
- Garlic cloves
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Converted rice–or long grain white rice
- Cajun seasoning–I used the Kroger store brand
- Canned green beans–or fresh green beans
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Tabasco–optional
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt.

Add in the smoked sausage and brown for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.

Sprinkle in the rice, cajun seasoning and dump in the beans.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.

Stir and serve with fresh cracked pepper and a few drops of tabasco sauce.

Notes/Tips
- We had this as an all in one pot meal but if you’d like to serve a few sides with it you may consider fruit salad and/or a corn salad.
- What is converted/parboiled rice? Don’t confuse converted rice (or sometimes it is called parboiled rice) with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice. Sometimes I buy it at Winco in the bulk section. I have also found it in the orange box (Ben’s brand) next to other rices.
- This recipe can easily be gluten-free. Just check labels.
- Try mixing up the vegetables in this dish. Instead of green beans you can try spinach, corn, carrots, cauliflower, peas, etc.
- You can try using brown rice instead. Use a 22 minute pressure cook time with a 10 minute natural pressure release. The vegetables will get overcooked most likely if added at the beginning of the pressure cook time.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with converted rice are Instant Pot Spanish Rice With Beef and Instant Pot Gyro Casserole.

More Instant Pot Smoked Sausage Recipes…
Instant Pot Smoked Sausage with Parmesan and Orzo
Smoked sausage, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, orzo and parmesan cheese cooked quickly in your pressure cooker. This meal is loaded with flavor and is a dump and go one pot meal.
Instant Pot Smoked Sausage, Green Beans and Potatoes
The easiest meal with the most amazing results. Smoked sausage, fresh green beans, cubed potatoes and a couple of seasonings are cooked together quickly in your electric pressure cooker for an easy one pot, dump and press start meal.
Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Cabbage
An easy all in one pot meal of smoked sausage, potatoes, onion and cabbage. Dump everything into the pot and walk away!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.


Grand Canyon Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Rice with smoked sausage, green beans, garlic and cajun seasoning made fast in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 (12 oz) package beef smoked sausage, sliced into half inch
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/3 cup converted rice (or long grain white rice)
- 2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 (14.5 oz) can green beans, drained or 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- Tabasco, optional
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the butter and let it melt. Add in the smoked sausage and brown for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the rice, cajun seasoning and dump in the beans.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir and serve with fresh cracked pepper and a few drops of tabasco sauce.
- Category: Sausage
- Method: Instant Pot

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
It worked great with parboiled rice. The home grown green beans were perfectly cooked.
★★★★★
mmmm!
We really liked this casserole. Could I double the recipe and should I double all the ingredients including the broth?
★★★★★
Yep double them all including the broth and keep the cooking time the same.
So delicious!
I cooked 1lb of ground hamburger meat then removed prior to step one. I added the meat back after the chicken broth (I added about one-quarter more chicken broth) and finished the recipe as given.
★★★★★
Good idea! Thanks for sharing and for the 5 stars!
VERY easy & tasty. I used Tony Chachere’s original creole seasoning & jasmine rice. It was perfection with a good spicy bite.
★★★★★
Thanks for the review and the 5 stars! So glad you loved it.
Could you use maybe red or black beans instead of green beans in this recipe?
Absolutely!
Your recipes state they are for instant pot and crock pot but there are no instructions for the crock pot. I only use a crockpot because I’m only cooking for one with some leftovers.
Hi Barbara, some of my recipes are for both. When I can I do both but lots of times they just don’t work out in the slow cooker so I just do the pressure cooker version. If you click here you can see all my slow cooker recipes: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/category/cooking-method/slow-cooker/
Can’t wait to try this one, Karen. Looks so yummy & EZ!! Will be back with stars.
I hope you like it!
It was wonderful! Followed recipe exactly, only added some mushrooms (we love our ‘shrooms). Another great one, Karen. Thanks!
★★★★★
yes to the mushrooms!
Not big on white rice to I plan to change to brown & wild rice. Will have to up the pressure time but so much better flavor for us.
Enjoy!