Jambalaya is one of my favorite one-pot style recipes. The combo of sausage, chicken, and shrimp with Creole seasoning and rice is always a winner in my book. Making it in a slow cooker makes it even easier to prepare! There are a few things to watch out for when assembling the recipe, but if you follow the tips below, you’ll be left with a great jambalaya that’s sure to please a crowd on a chilly winter day.
The base ingredients for these two classic Creole dishes are almost identical. The main difference is that gumbo incorporates a roux, or some sort of thickener, and is served either by itself, almost like a chili, or over a bed of rice.
Jambalaya is more like arroz con pollo, in that the rice and other ingredients cook together. This is actually hard to pull off consistently in a slow cooker so I recommend cooking the rice separately, and then either serving the jambalaya over the rice or stirring the cooked rice into the finished jambalaya before serving. Personally, I prefer to serve it over rice on an individual serving basis!
Ingredients:
2 large celery stalks , diced
1 small onion , diced
4 cloves garlic , minced
1 green bell pepper , diced
1 red bell pepper , diced
16 ounces smoked sausage , chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( or more for extra spice)
1/2 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (15 oz) canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley , roughly chopped
2 cup vegetable broth ( chicken broth works as well)
2 cups uncooked white rice
Instructions:
Add all ingredients into slow cooker EXCEPT the uncooked white rice.
Stir everything together. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. The liquid should be boiling at this point.
Very quickly stir uncooked rice into slow cooker. Quickly cover with lid and continue to cook on high for another 20
25 minutes, or until rice is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid.
Serve hot with freshly chopped parsley and some hot sauce, if desired. Enjoy!