Tag: Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a delicious, versatile recipe that you can enjoy right at home, better than any restaurant!  It is easily adapted to a gluten free diet, as most of the ingredients in this spicy Louisiana dish are naturally gluten free.  Andouille sausage gives this dish its signature heat and flavor and is now commonly available with no gluten containing ingredients.  Always look for the gluten free label to be safe!

4 Servings

The Lazy Gastronome

 

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Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. boneless chicken breast, cut into 1″ dice
  • 4 oz. (about 1 link) gluten free andouille sausage sliced into thin coins
  • 8 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 small zucchini, cut into strips
  • 1/4 large red bell pepper, thin sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • olive oil
  • 2 cups gluten free chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp. creole seasoning (or to taste)
  • chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Mise en place:

This is one of those recipes that comes together very quickly once the prep work is done.  You don’t want to be doing your chopping and peeling once you begin to cook, so get “everything in its place” before you start cooking…

Preparation:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium low with a little olive oil and begin cooking the sausage coins.  When browned on both sides, remove the sausage and leave the oil in the skillet.

Next, cook the chicken in the reserved oil.  Add a bit more olive oil as needed and sprinkle with seasoning.

Remove the chicken when almost cooked through and add the onions and peppers to the skillet.  Sprinkle with seasoning.

Cook 2-3 minutes, then push the veggies aside to make a clean spot in the center of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and let it toast for a minute before stirring it into the veggies with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth.

Add the garlic, return the sausage and chicken to the skillet along with the shrimp.

Stir everything together, then add the remaining 1-1/2 cups chicken broth along with the zucchini.

Cover and cook several minutes longer, just until the shrimp turn pink.

That’s it!  Just transfer to a serving bowl and finish with chopped parsley.

Notes ♪♫ This spicy dish is traditionally served over rice, but it is also delicious tossed with pasta.  If you enjoyed this post check out my Jambalaya Pasta, and Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers!

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Gluten Free Jambalaya Pasta

Gluten Free Jambalaya Pasta

Fra Diavolo meets Cajun in this spicy pasta dish with a definite southern twist!  Cajun seasoning gives it a real kick, and it can be anything from a modest pinch to a generous shake, you decide.  I borrowed smoky Andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp from the traditional recipe, along with the “trinity” of pepper, onion and celery.  I finished it with a light tomato sauce but instead of rice I served it over gluten free Casarecce pasta from Jovial, one of my absolute favorites!  Use pork or chicken Andouille sausage in this recipe.  Always check ingredients and look for the gluten free label.

4 Servings

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Ingredients:

  • 6 oz. Andouille sausage, cut into coins
  • 6 oz. colossal raw shrimp (about 6), peeled and deveined
  • 12 oz. boneless chicken breast, cut into medallions
  • 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
  • ¼ cup celery, sliced
  • 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
  • olive oil, about 2 tbsp.
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp. cream, half and half or milk
  • Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 4 oz. gluten free pasta, cooked 2 minutes less than package directions
  • 3 ladles of the pasta water
  • Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Once the ingredients are prepped, this meal comes together in about 15 minutes.  Slice the sausage into coins, peel and devein the shrimp, slice the chicken into medallions.  Mince the garlic and dice the bell pepper, onion and celery.  Chop the broccoli into bite size pieces.

Cook the pasta to 2 minutes less than package directions, reserving 3 cups of the pasta water.  Heat a large skillet with olive oil.  Add the sausage and cook 1 minute, or until the sausage begins to release its fat.

Add the chicken, season well and cook 3 minutes longer, turning once.  It does not need to be cooked through at this point.

Add the broccoli, peppers, onions, celery and garlic.

Season, cover and cook 3 minutes until the veggies are crisp tender.

Make a space in the center of the skillet and add the tomato paste.  Let it toast for 1 minute, pushing it around with a spatula then toss it with the meat and vegetables.

Add 1 ladle of the pasta water with the shrimp, and continue cooking just until the shrimp turns pink.

Add 2 more ladles of pasta water with the cream, half and half or milk.  Look at the gorgeous colors!

Finally, add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well for another 2 minutes to finish cooking the pasta and meld the flavors.

Transfer to a platter, garnish with parsley and dinner is ready.  It smells so good; I hurried through the photo shoot so we could dig in!

Hubby loved this dish and so did I.  The Andouille sausage gave it just the right amount of heat.  I went easy on the seasoning, but next time I’ll give it a few extra shakes!

This pasta version of Jambalaya is my favorite, maybe because I’m Italian!  I hope you enjoyed it as well.  For more Jambalaya recipes check out my traditional Jambalaya and my Jambalaya stuffed peppers!

Notes: ♪♫ What is the difference between Cajun and creole seasoning?  Cajun seasoning is spicy combination of peppers and herbs that bring on the heat, while Creole seasoning leans more toward a balanced blend of heat and sweet.  It’s a matter of taste, so use whatever makes your palette happy!

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Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers

It’s been a while since I’ve made these pumpkin inspired stuffed peppers!  I love jambalaya, and while I do make it now and then, this time I went a step further and used it as a stuffing for these beautiful orange bell peppers.  The orange color really speaks to October, autumn and Halloween!

Carving out the cute little jack-o-lantern faces takes some patience!  Are they Pinterest worthy?  Probably not, but you get the idea!  At any rate they were delicious.  If you like comfort food with a spicy New Orleans kick give this one a try!  What a fun way to spend time in the kitchen!

Yield: 6-8 stuffed peppers, depending on size

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Ingredients:

Preparation:

Heat a large pot of salted water for blanching the peppers.

Cook ¾ cups brown rice according to package directions.  I cooked mine in a rice cooker using 1 cup water, one cup chicken broth and ½ tsp. seasoning.

Cut the tops off the peppers, then remove the seeds and ribs.  For a fun fall twist, use a small paring knife to carve out a jack-o-lantern face.  Don’t discard those cutout pieces, chop them up to add to the filling!

Heat a large non-stick skillet and begin browning the sausage.  When cooked through, transfer the sausage to a bowl and leave any remaining fat in the pan to flavor the other ingredients.  Add more olive oil as needed.

Next sprinkle the chicken with seasoning and brown on all sides.  Remove and set aside.

Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn pink.  I diced most of the shrimp but left a couple whole for garnish.  Remove and set aside.

Finally, add the onions, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet with a little more olive oil.  Cook for 2 minutes then push the veggies to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste.  Let the paste cook for a minute, breaking it up with a spatula before stirring it into the veggies.

To finish the jambalaya, whisk in 1 cup of chicken broth then stir in the meat and rice, tossing well to combine.

Blanch the peppers for 3 minutes in boiling water.  Drain well and arrange in a baking dish that has been misted with cooking spray.

Spoon the jambalaya mixture into the peppers and bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Top peppers off with a whole shrimp.

Notes ♪♫ I made a few stuffed peppers, and there was plenty of the jambalaya left over.  You could make 6 to 8 stuffed peppers from this recipe.  They freeze well too, just wrap in tin foil and freeze in an airtight freezer safe container.

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