Weeknight Sausage Jambalaya
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This quick and easy Weeknight Sausage Jambalaya recipe doesn’t take any shortcuts with flavor, it’s positively delicious!
As much as I love to cook, it can be challenging to find the time to do it. I know you can relate. I’ve found that to be especially true now that I have two toddlers. And so there are definitely times when I really appreciate the convenience of quick, healthy meals that I can make for my family in a time crunch. Like this one.
So get your Creole on in just 30 minutes with this Weeknight Jambalaya and laissez les bons temps rouler!!
Jambalaya is a traditional Creole dish from New Orleans, though there are also Cajun varieties. It has been said that jambalaya was the South’s attempt at recreating Spanish paella in the New World. Jambalaya can include any one or combination of chicken, crawfish, shrimp, andouille sausage, and diced ham. Cajun varieties have traditionally included oysters, alligator, turtle, and…nutria. If you don’t know what that last one is (I didn’t), educate yourself by googling it. So yes, we’re going to stick with Creole jambalaya.
Whether one or several meats are used, it’s all thrown in with rice, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and – of course – a healthy dose of Creole seasoning. I wanted to make jambalaya with some good sausage (though you can substitute any meat you want). I made a quick dash into Safeway and made my way over to the stash of Hillshire Farm goods. I’ve always enjoyed kielbasa and thought this smoky sausage would work wonderfully in my Jambalaya. It did.
Let’s get to that Weeknight Jambalaya, shall we? Alright!
Easy Weeknight Jambalaya Recipe
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the veggies for about 6-7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, the Creole seasoning, salt, and hot sauce if using.
Stir to combine.
Add the rice, kielbasa, bay leaf, and chicken stock.
Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve immediately accompanied by the Carpenters’ “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)”
That’s optional, of course.
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Weeknight Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning (click link for our BEST homemade Creole Seasoning!)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or more according to heat preference , optional
- 1 14 oz package Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup long grain rice , e.g., Basmati
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat and saute the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic for about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice, Creole seasoning, salt, and hot sauce if using. Stir to combine.Add the kielbasa, rice, chicken broth, bay leaf and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the rice is tender.(Try to avoid removing the lid while it's cooking) Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Then fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This was nice and easy, but so-so. WAY too much rice. I even cut it in half (and the corresponding broth) and still thought it was too much. And the rice doesn’t need 25 minutes to cook…
Hi Marie, this jambalaya calls for 1 cup of rice which yields 2 cups cooked. That’s only 1/2 cup per serving for a total of 4 servings. I’m not sure how you figure that’s way too much rice, especially cutting it in half?
good
Little salty. Maybe use low sodium chicken broth next time? I had to add more cooked white rice to dish.
I am from Louisiana and have made Jambalaya, gumbo, etc for many years. I’ve always used a pre-packaged base roux to make life easier. I had my doubts about this recipe but gave it a try last night. I was impressed! The only change I made was browning the beef sausage before adding to the mix. It was a bit spicy after adding the tobasco sauce plus Tony’s cajun seasoning and lots of black pepper but definitely worth the burn! Great job with this recipe! I will definitely make it again and share with my cajun cooking friends.
Thank you so much, DeAnna, I appreciate the feedback! I’m happy you enjoyed this “quick” version and if you haven’t already seen it, I also have a “proper” jambalaya recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/jambalaya/
I have to say this is the best jambalaya by far and easy to make. I added shrimp and scallops makes for an amazing home cooked meal!
Fantastic, Kyle, thanks so much!
Do you know how many calories per gram of cooked jambalaya when made by this recipe?
This turned out amazing. I doubled the recipe and used sausage and left over rotisserie chicken.. I served my family for 6 with seconds and leftovers for me for lunch!
Fantastic, Rebecca, I’m so glad to hear that, thank you!
I did not have celery or canned tomatoes. I used tomato paste mixed with the chicken stock. I had some frozen shrimp and threw it in. Loved it!!!!
Wonderful, Janet, I’m so glad to hear that, thank you!