Team chorizo and rice dressing with turkey, pork, chicken or lamb

This fragrant and flavourful stuffing variation is sure to become a holiday favourite. Served as a side or as a dressing with your favourite meat, this recipe combines savoury chorizo, sweet red pepper and nutty whole-grain brown rice.

It is finished with smoked paprika, giving this dish a seasonal splash of colour.

Chorizo Rice Dressing

Serve this as a side dish or let cool completely and use it to stuff pork, chicken, lamb or turkey.

4 fresh chorizo sausages, casings removed

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

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10 ml (2 tsp) each chopped fresh rosemary and thyme

5 ml (1 tsp) smoked paprika

2 ml (1/2 tsp) each salt and fresh cracked pepper

30 ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) brown rice

125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine

750 ml (3 cups) chicken broth

50 ml (1/4 cup) toasted sliced almonds

50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped parsley

15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon zest

In a skillet, brown sausage meat over medium-high heat, breaking meat into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.

Add oil to same skillet and cook onion and celery until onion is translucent and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add red pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in tomato paste and brown rice; cook until rice is coated with tomato and oil mixture, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and sausage and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until all liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat but keep covered for another 15 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and gently stir in almonds, fresh chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories; 6 g protein; 9 g total fat (2 g saturated fat); 33 g carbohydrate; 3 g fibre; 10 mg cholesterol; 320 mg sodium.

Tip: This dish can also be spread into a casserole and sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese and baked until crisp on the top.

Source: USA Rice Federation, http://www.riceinfo.com.