Creole Jambalaya: One-Pot Meal
Jambalaya is a dish out of Louisiana and is a play on Spanish paella and french jambalaia. This recipe has been one of my favourites since I was a kid. It’s been modified a lot since then to include more vegetables, but it’s still as delicious as ever. Truly a one pot meal!
Equipment
- 6 qt enameled cast iron pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp lard or tallow or sub olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 3 large stalks celery chopped
- 300 g garlic sausage chopped
- 1 ¾ cups long grain rice
- 2 roma tomatoes finely chopped
- ½-1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 tsp fine sea salt or more to taste
Directions
- Preheat a large (6 qt) enameled cast iron pot (or non-stick pot) over medium to medium-high heat. Add the lard and let it melt before adding the onions, garlic, peppers, and celery. Cook for 2 minutes until the vegetables just start to soften.
- Add the chopped sausage to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The vegetables should turn translucent, then sweat, and then the water will release from the vegetables. Once the water has evapourated and the vegetables are just starting to get some colour, add in the rice.
- Stir the rice to combine and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes until the rice is beginning to brown all over and no more liquid remains.
- Add chopped tomatoes, stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Stir a couple of times to keep it from burning.
- Add beef stock to deglaze, scraping up the bits at the bottom, then add the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Reduce Calories: Turkey sausage is a delicious option to reduce calories per serving without sacrificing on flavour. I don’t recommend reducing the oil.
Salt: Salt varies greatly between homemade and store bought stocks, adjust accordingly.
Nutrition Per Serving: Calories 562 kcal | Carbohydrates 76.4 g | Protein 18.7 g | Fat 20.7 g | Sodium 1,417 mg | Potassium 906 mg | Fiber 3.3 g | Vitamin A 97.4 μg | Vitamin C 88.5 mg | Calcium: 88.6 mg | Iron: 1.6 mg