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This is one of those wonderful dishes where you can switch things up depending on what ingredients you have on hand. For example, you can use any type of sausage or bacon, but I still think the dish would be tasty even if you left the meat out all together. If you don’t have any shrimp you could throw in some other type of seafood instead. If you don’t like oysters (I fall in this department!) then not to worry. This is the type of dish where you can be creative and
make substitutions as you see fit…and best of all enjoy the end result (and don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!).
When I recently made this dish I did not use sausage (we used bacon instead) and I did not add any of the extra black pepper or hot sauce. There is already a little red pepper in the Creole seasoning so that was the only source of heat in our dish. And to my surprise both of my girls ate (small amounts) of it when it was served. Point being – at least they didn’t hate it! When I first added the spices I took a bite and immediately thought it would be too spicy for them, but after the rice and liquids got cooking it really made the dish more palatable for those younger taste buds. So give it shot with your children before offering up a separate kid meal!
Easy Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ pound sausage preferably andouille (or you can use bacon instead)
- 1 large bell pepper any color, large dice
- 1 large onion large dice
- 3 ribs celery large dice
- 1 head garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 large tomatoes chopped (or equivalent quantity of cherry tomatoes)
- 3/4 pound shrimp raw and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice (quick cooking variety)
- 2 cups chicken broth (if you don't have any stock you could use water instead)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 pint oysters shucked, with their liquor (optional)
- hot sauce to taste (optional)
- green onions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Combine the butter and sausage (or bacon) in a large soup pot over high heat. Cook for about 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
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Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, Creole seasoning, salt and black pepper to taste. Sauté over high heat for about 8 minutes, or until the veggies have browned and caramelized.
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Add the tomatoes, shrimp, and bay leaves, and stir for a couple of minutes.
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Add the rice, stir gently, then add the broth and water. Gently stir the rice again to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the rice is tender).
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Turn off the heat and fold in the oysters (if using), cover, and let sit for about 8 minutes. If not using oysters you can skip this step altogether.
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Garnish with green onions and serve.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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How many servings does this make?
This made a TON of food! Our family of 5 had enough for 2 full meals. And yes, even my children ate it(even though their portions are smaller)! I’d say it is at least 8 1 cup servings but didn’t measure. My husband is asking if we could make this for our Super Bowl party instead of chili this year!
Hello, I am just beginning to start a whole foods journey as my husband is having some liver trouble. Doctor says we must move to whole foods. I was concerned about the sausage in the recipe. Can a whole foods diet consist of bacon and sausage? Or what else could I use for similar taste?
Hi Shannon. These are ingredients that Lisa very occasionally uses in her recipes. What she buys is at the very least uncured meat with no added nitrates. You can always leave them out but you would definitely sacrifice flavor. :)
Shannon, I used chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s. I’m not the biggest fan of chicken sausage on its own, but in this recipe with all the seasonings, it was absolutely fantastic!
Absolutely fantastic!!!
Can I substitute pasta instead of rice? Do I cook it the same way?
Hi Susanna. We’ve not used pasta in this dish but I imagine you could without making changes.
I would like to use regular brown rice for this recipe. I am wondering if I should either at least partially cook the brown rice prior to adding, and how the liquid should be adjusted. It seems like there would not be enough liquid if I just sub the brown rice and cook for 50 minutes. Has anybody tried regular rice? Thanks.
Hi. I would cook the rice first in a combination of stock and water. You can reserve some of the liquid in the recipe and add it back in as needed for the right consistency.
Very excited about this– wondering how to transition it to a crock pot recipe so it can simmer with the spices
Why not use sausage? Is it processed? I guess I always considered it “blended” rather than processed.
Hi. Sausage is processed but if you prefer to use it, it will work, too. Just look for a source that is minimally processed without added nitrates.
Ok, not educated on nitrates but will do some research and see if I can find anything that fits the bill. Thanks!
:) Lisa buys a lot if Applegate products. They make sausage links, too.
if using precooked brown rice, how many cups and how much liquid do I add?
Hi there. If you are using precooked rice, you could eliminate a cup of the liquid ingredients.
I made this for this week’s dinners and am curious if there’s any nutritional value?
i wish it told us about cooking the rice first