Only recently did I take a stab at making homemade jambalaya, which honestly surprised even myself. I mean, I love me some spice, and a good bowl of spicy, Creole-inspired meat and rice has never been known to disappoint at a restaurant or friends’ place. So ever since we got back from our recent trip to Louisiana (seen here and here), I’ve been inspired to put my own spin on the dish.
So, as you may be aware, there are a LOT of ways to make jambalaya. In all seriousness, I looked at 10 different recipes before deciding my plan of action with my own dish. I ended up pulling pieces of several recipes, deciding what I really wanted in mine, and man…it was FIRE.
This one-pot meal serves about 8-10 servings, and is a true crowd-pleaser that brings ’em back for more. Made entirely in my dutch oven, it’s one of those recipes that you build upon, and it’s one you can crank up the spice level a few notches depending on who’s enjoying it.
Find the full recipe below, but before you do, here are a few noteworthy findings to keep in mind. If you’re using a high quality sausage, you don’t have to peel the casing. IF it’s good stuff, the casing is made up of animal parts. It’s only when you use the cheap sausage that you need to remove the peeling (it’s made of gross plastic). Also, I use frozen organic okra here instead of fresh okra; I’ve found that it actually decreases the okra slime by about 90%…you can thank me later. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 lb Shrimp, peeled and deviened and tailed off
- 1 package of smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into rounds
- 1 package of sausage kielbasa, cut into 1" rounds
- 1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 large can roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 box vegetable stock (about 4 cups)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 2 green peppers, chopped in squares
- 2 red peppers, chopped in squares
- 1 bag frozen organic okra
- 1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
- more vegetable stock just in case to the side
- Parsley, chopped for garnish
- 1/4 cup Slap-Yo-Mama seasoning or Old Bay (based on preference)
- Salt, to taste
- 6 T olive oil
Instructions
- Spray your big dutch oven and coat bottom with olive oil. Be generous.
- Heat to a medium/medium high heat.
- Start your aromatics; add garlic and onions and cook until translucent.
- Add your jalapeno and peppers, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Make sure to stir so they don't stick to bottom of dutch oven.
- Add kielbasa, browning it (for an additional 3-5 minutes). It will start sticking, so add additional olive oil and stir.
- Add your vegetable stock, can of tomatoes, rice, shrimp and Slap-Ya-Mama seasoning. Bring to a boil.
- You MAY need more vegetable stock at this point. Ask yourself if the rice is going to soak up all that liquid.
- Turn down heat and bring to simmer. Cover for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add in your cooked chicken and frozen okra. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid, and if looks good consistency-wise, turn off the heat, keeping it lidded. The rice will continue to cook. If your rice is completely done, you may want to add more vegetable stock to get your preferred consistency.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
