Jambalaya
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Jambalaya is the one-pot dinner I make when I want minimal clean-up and want to keep everyone at the table happy. The added bonus is that it can keep feeding you for a few days after, if, on the rare occasion, you have leftovers. It makes the kitchen smell like a delicious Bourbon Street, and my family seems to gravitate toward it.
What makes it work is browning the sausage first, then cooking long-grain rice right in the seasoned broth, so six ounces of sausage and half a pound of shrimp stretch across six servings. The rice, canned tomatoes, and broth make up the filling, keeping this a one-pot meal you can build mostly from the pantry, which is handy when you haven’t been to the store.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Everything cooks in one Dutch oven, so the rice simmers in the same broth the sausage and vegetables are flavored with, and there’s just a single pot to wash.
- Six ounces of sausage and half a pound of shrimp feed six people, because the long-grain rice, canned tomatoes, and broth carry most of the bulk.
- Leftovers reheat well for two or three more meals, so one afternoon of cooking covers several dinners.
- The holy trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery plus Cajun seasoning builds the flavor base with no specialty ingredients.
- Most of the fifty minutes is hands-off while the rice simmers under the lid.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what’s worth noting before you start. The printable card below has the full list with quantities.
- Long-grain rice is the one ingredient not to swap. It holds separate grains through the twenty-minute simmer, where instant or minute rice would turn soft and gummy, and gummy rice is the most common thing that goes wrong with jambalaya.
- Beef sausage gets sliced into quarter-inch rounds and browned first. If you want the smokier, more traditional result, andouille works in its place. If your sausage is fresh rather than smoked, brown it all the way through before it goes back in.
- Medium shrimp go in peeled and deveined, and they go in last so they cook just to pearly and opaque instead of turning rubbery.
- Diced tomatoes go in with their juices. Those tomatoes are what make this the tomato-based, Creole-leaning style, and they count as part of the cooking liquid along with the three cups of broth.
- Cajun seasoning is the backbone here, and brands swing widely in salt and heat, so buy one you trust and adjust it at the end.
How to Make Jambalaya
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Making the best jambalaya recipe doesn’t have to be costly, and here’s how you can enjoy it at home.
Brown the Sausage
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the sausage rounds and cook for about 5 minutes, until browned and slightly crisp. Take the sausage out and set it aside, but leave the browned bits and rendered fat in the pot, because that’s where a lot of the delicious jambalaya flavor starts.
Cook the Holy Trinity
Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the same pot and cook for five minutes until they soften. This trio is the holy trinity; it’s the base of most Cajun and Creole cooking, and it picks up the sausage flavor left in the pan.
Toast the Rice with the Garlic
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a minute, until it’s fragrant, then add the long-grain rice and stir to coat every grain with the oil and vegetables. Toasting the rice for a moment here helps it stay separate later and well worth doing.
Add the Liquids and Seasonings
Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and the chicken broth, then add the Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together and bring it up to a boil.
Simmer Until the Rice Is Tender
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for twenty minutes without lifting the lid (don’t give in to temptation). This is the step where jambalaya usually goes wrong, so leave the lid alone; every peek lets steam escape and cooks the rice unevenly.
Stir in the Sausage and Shrimp
Gently stir the browned sausage and the shrimp into the rice, then cover and cook for five more minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink and opaque throughout. I always devein my shrimp first with a deveiner tool, which makes this last step quick and easy.
Fluff and Serve
Take the pot off the heat, gently fluff the rice with a fork, and taste for seasoning, adding more Cajun spice, salt, or pepper if needed. Scatter the sliced green onions over the top and serve it hot, straight from the pot.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Keep the lid on for the full twenty-minute simmer. Lifting it lets steam out and is the fastest way to end up with unevenly cooked or mushy rice, the top complaint people have about jambalaya.
- Stick with long-grain rice. The ratio here, a cup and a half of rice to three cups of broth plus the canned tomatoes, is set for grains that stay separate.
- Add the shrimp only in the last five minutes. Put in earlier, they overcook and turn rubbery before the rice is done.
- Taste the seasoning at the very end. Cajun blends vary so much in salt and heat that it’s easier to add than to fix.
- Brown the sausage well and don’t scrape the pot clean afterward; that browned layer flavors the whole dish.
Recipe Variations
- Andouille sausage in place of the beef sausage gives a smokier, more traditional flavor, and Mandy names it as a swap she’s made, so it’s a tested change that needs no other adjustment.
- For more or less heat, move the Cajun seasoning up or down and add cayenne, red pepper flakes, or a few dashes of hot sauce; that’s a tested adjustment as long as you taste as you go.
- Diced chicken thigh is a classic addition, though it hasn’t been tested in this exact recipe; brown it alongside the sausage and make sure it reaches 165°F before serving.
- Brown or wild rice isn’t a straight swap here and hasn’t been tested; both need more liquid and a longer simmer than white rice, so the times as written won’t give you fully cooked grains.
How to Store Leftovers
To get a head start, dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, then cook the rest just before serving so the rice is fresh.
Refrigerate leftover jambalaya in an airtight container within two hours and eat it within four days, or freeze it for up to three months. Because this is a cooked rice dish, get it into the fridge promptly rather than leaving it out on the counter, since cooked rice held at room temperature can grow bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F. I add a splash of broth or water to loosen the rice, and thaw anything frozen overnight in the fridge before you warm it.
What to Serve With Jambalaya
Jambalaya is close to a full meal on its own, so the sides that work best are simple ones that round it out instead of competing with it. I love serving this with crusty French bread or cornbread to soak up the flavorful broth at the bottom of the bowl.
A sharp, crunchy Red Cabbage Coleslaw cuts through the richness, and a quick green vegetable like Air Fryer Broccoli fills out the plate without piling on another heavy dish.
FAQs
Almost always it’s too much liquid or a lid that came off too soon. Measure the rice and broth exactly, keep the pot covered, and leave it alone for the full twenty minutes so the rice steams evenly instead of stewing in extra liquid.
Yes to andouille, which is the more traditional sausage and needs no other changes. You can add diced chicken too; brown it with the sausage and cook it to 165°F before the dish comes together.
The diced tomatoes make this the tomato-based style most people call Creole. Leave the tomatoes out, and you move toward Cajun-style jambalaya, but the liquid balance changes, so it isn’t a one-for-one swap in this recipe.
More Shrimp and One-Pot Dinners to Try
I’ve got more shrimp recipes that are just as simple, plus a couple of one-pot dinners in the same spirit.
- Classic Shrimp Scampi is garlic, butter, and white wine shrimp for another quick seafood night.
- Shrimp Alfredo is a creamy way to use the same shrimp over fettuccine.
- Copycat Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings bring the same Louisiana spice profile in wing form.
- Walking Taco Casserole is another easy family dinner for a busy week.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 ounces beef sausage sliced into one-quarter inch rounds
- ½ pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cups long-grain rice
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 green onions sliced, for garnish
Video
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and slightly crisp. Remove and set aside.6 ounces beef sausage
- In the same pot, add the onion, green bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened.1 cup onion, 1 cup green bell pepper, 2 stalks celery
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the rice and stir well to coat it with the oil and vegetables.3 cloves garlic, 1½ cups long-grain rice
- Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and the chicken broth. Add the Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, 3 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, without lifting the lid, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
- Gently stir in the cooked sausage and shrimp. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and are fully cooked.½ pound medium shrimp
- Remove from heat, fluff gently, and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot.2 green onions
Notes
- Brown the sausage well before removing it; the browned bits left in the pot flavor the rice.
- Use long-grain rice, not instant; instant or minute rice turns gummy over a twenty-minute simmer.
- Keep the lid on during the simmer so the rice cooks evenly.
- Add the shrimp only in the last five minutes so they stay tender.
- Taste and adjust the Cajun seasoning at the end, since brands vary in salt and heat.
- Andouille sausage works in place of the beef sausage for a smokier result.
- Refrigerate leftover jambalaya in an airtight container within two hours and eat it within four days, or freeze it for up to three months.
- Thaw frozen jambalaya overnight in the fridge before reheating, and reheat to 165°F with a splash of broth.
