A facile and efficient reductive acylation of aromatic nitro compounds to corresponding anilides using a sodium sulfite carboxylic acid system for the first time has been reported. The sodium sulfite reagent provides the colorless reductant in combination with stoichiometric amounts of carboxylic acid and enables the formation of anilides from nitroarenes without any additives in good to excellent yields with high purities and simple work-up. Furthermore, this protocol provides a novel and complementary access to some industrially important chemicals in kilogram scale under mild conditions.