Jambalaya. I love just saying the word, it has such a sense of fun. But, I love eating it even more. The first time I tasted the smoky, spicy flavours of Louisiana jambalaya, years ago in a Cajun restaurant, I was in love. I knew I had to make it at home. What I didn't know then, was just how easy this dish is to make. There is something about that part of the world that always draws me in, whether its the food, the music, the history, or whatever, but I'm a fan.
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Cajun Vs Creole Style Jambalaya
There are two types of jambalaya. This one is a red one, Creole style, which uses tomatoes. The other type is a brown jambalaya, Cajun style, without the tomatoes. The Louisiana origins of this dish can be traced to attempts by Spanish settlers to make paella. They didn't have saffron there, so they substituted tomatoes. Gradually, regional spices and flavours were incorporated into the new world version of this delicious rice dish that we know today. If you're interested in food history, (I'm sure I'm not the only food nerd out there) here's a great article about the Louisiana cuisine.
Jambalaya is one of my favourite one-pot dishes. I always love that for convenience and easy cleanup. You can make yours as spicy or not spicy as you like by changing the amount of cayenne in this recipe. This is also great cold or reheated for leftovers. And you can change up this dish in lots of ways. Try lentils, barley or any other grain for a different twist.
Rice is a versatile base for a lot of dishes, both hot and cold. Try Cajun Red Beans and Rice for another Louisiana classic. I like to cook extra rice so that I have leftovers for making Vegetable Fried Rice
Recipe
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Jambalaya – Easy Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 bell pepper any colour, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 oz smoked chorizo sausage sliced
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 796 ml can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or other large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add cayenne pepper, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper and stir, cooking for about 1 minute.
- Add sausage, rice, tomatoes and their juice and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5-10 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
Nutrition
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
It has been a long time since I made jambalaya...and we just happen to love when I do. One day eating in New Orleans would be a dream come true. This sounds full of flavour and the leftovers would be awesome too!
Colleen
Gloria, I know, right? New Orleans is on the bucket list, for sure!
Bernice Hill
Great write up! I didn't know there were two kinds of Jambalaya. This isn't a dish that I see too often, though I have made it before I couldn't tell you which kind it was because it was pre-blogging days.
Love the bowls and colour scheme too.
Colleen
Thanks so much, Bernice. I have only ever made the red jambalaya, but plan to try out the brown one, (one of these days, lol)
Kellie MacMillan
I can totally relate on the falling in love the first time you try something new. This jambalaya looks amazing. I love the colors and it sounds so good.
I'll bookmark your recipe and give it a try later. I hope I love it as much as you. ha,ha.
Kellie from Princess & The Yard Ape
Colleen
Thanks so much Kellie! I hope you do too! (I think you will :-))
MDIVADOMESTICA
Jambalaya! What a great recipe and flavours. I could definitely go for a bowl full.
Colleen
Thanks so much! Jambalaya is a comfort food that still packs a little punch 🙂
Jolina
Jambalaya. Hmm. Yes it's fun to say! 🙂 This looks so good. I love paella and it's really interesting how this dish came about. Didn't realize there were two kinds though, I think I've ever only had the red one. Delicious!
Colleen
Thanks Jolina. Love Paella, too. 🙂