Spanish chorizo sausage cooks fast with sweet peppers and becomes its own sauce; all that pork fat and spice needs nothing but rice to catch it. A tired-person weeknight dinner that tastes like you planned ahead.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 470 calories a serving, 8 g protein, 90 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring 1 and 1/3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in 2/3 cup rice, cover, and set the heat to low.18 min
2. While rice cooks, halve 1 large red bell pepper lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice it into 1/2-inch strips. Mince 2 garlic cloves and dice 1 small onion.
3. Slice 12 ounces chorizo into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chorizo, and cook until the edges brown and fat renders, about 4 minutes, stirring now and then. Transfer to a plate.4 min
4. Add the diced onion to the same skillet and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the sliced pepper and minced garlic, cook until the pepper softens, about 4 minutes, and the rice will be nearly done.4 min
5. Return the chorizo and its juices to the skillet, toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper. When the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, serve the chorizo and peppers over the rice.

Note Swap the red pepper for 2 cups diced zucchini or yellow squash if you have them. Leftovers keep three days covered in the cold and reheat best in a skillet over medium heat. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side, or with a quick salad of shredded cabbage and vinegar.