Healthy Smokin' Jambalaya
A hearty jambalaya recipe with andouille chicken sausage, shrimp, and brown rice. It's rich in protein, fiber, healthy fats, and spicy flavors!
Equipment
- Dutch oven or Instant Pot
- Mini food processor optional
Ingredients
- 6 ounces andouille chicken sausage, cut into ⅓-inch rounds
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil or mild extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup bell pepper, any color, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Chachere's
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 Tablespoon fresh or a few thyme branches
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup brown rice, long grain
- 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 ¾ cups broth, chicken or vegetable, low-sodium -- if using Dutch oven
- ¾ cup broth, chicken or vegetable, low-sodium -- if using Instant Pot
- 1 pound shrimp medium size, thawed, peeled, and deveined
Instructions
- Wash hands thoroughly. Gather ingredients, leaving the shrimp in the refrigerator until later.
- Heat a Dutch oven or large deep skillet and cook sausage rounds. Turn off the heat and remove sausage from pan when lightly browned.
- Turn heat to medium-high and add oil. Cook onion, celery, and bell pepper until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Return sausage to Dutch oven along with spices and rice. Cook for two minutes, stirring to combine all ingredients, coating with the spice mixture.
- Add tomatoes and 1 ¾ cups of broth and stir again, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer. Cover.
- Cook for about 40 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the thawed shrimp.
- Cover and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until shrimp are pink all the way through.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Saute for 5 minutes on high heat. Coat with non-stick spray. Before pot is completely hot, add sausage rounds and cook until browned. Remove sausage to a plate.
- Turn the pot back on to Saute for another 7 minutes. Add the oil and cook the onion, celery, and pepper, stirring to prevent any sticking or burning. Toss in the garlic once the vegetables are softened and a little brown.
- Turn off the pot and add the cooked sausage rounds along with spices, bay leaf, and rice. Stir to coat.
- Add the tomatoes and ¾ cup of broth and stir to combine. Put the lid on and set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on high for 20 minutes.
- When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure, carefully opening the vent to release the steam. Open the pot.
- Add the shrimp and stir. Twist the lid on and set to Pressure Cook for 1 minute. Once the IP has gotten up to pressure the shrimp should be pink and cooked through.
- Release pressure by opening the vent. When the pressure valve drops, open the lid and check to see that shrimp are done. Stir to combine ingredients and serve, or press the Keep Warm button to hold the jambalya until ready to serve.
Notes
The Instant Pot lets you cook the jambalaya in about 40 minutes (or less).
Sometimes, shrimp will exude juices and make the jambalaya too soupy. It's not a bad idea to dry your shrimp with paper towels before adding them to the pot.
If your jambalaya has too much liquid after adding the shrimp, you can gently boil some of it away. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven or Instant Pot and simmer until the texture is saucy, not soupy.
Nutrition
Calories: 292.8kcalCarbohydrates: 18.7gProtein: 35.2gFat: 8.3gSaturated Fat: 1.5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 235.1mgSodium: 934.7mgFiber: 2.9gSugar: 3.1gIron: 2.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!