This is one of those recipes that requires a happy dance. It’s OK, I’ll wait.
Seriously, though. It’s like this:
Imagine this scenario:
It’s a weeknight and you’ve worked all day. You came home and maybe you took care of the baby, walked the dog, cleaned the litter box, cleaned the house. Or, maybe you did none of those things but you said you did for effect and a little deserved sympathy.
Your loved ones comes home and you throw this dish in front of him/her.
YOUR LOVED ONES: Ohmigodthisisamazing!!!
YOU: I know, right?!
YOUR LOVED ONES: No. Like, for real. AH. MAY. ZING!!
YOU: It took me soooo long to prepare…that’s just how much I love you.
<You… in for the win!>
Reality: This is a one-pot, half-hour dish that tastes like it’s been stewed for days. You can use any meat you want or have available to you and its flavors are OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD!
The only downside I can think of is that you sort of have to watch the pot, which goes against one of my rules cooking. But! If we’re looking for upsides here, it’s that you only have to watch the pot to stir from time to time using one hand while your other hand performs 4 oz. wine curls to your mouth. So for that, you’re welcome!
Now, the backstory to what precipitated this meal for our family:
I am blessed with neighbors who still do neighborly things like share food or bring gifts. One of my neighbors brought over some freshly made venison kielbasa for my husband and me (cue: cheers or jeers from the audience now. I choose to cheer at the thought of free “exotic” meat). I was stoked but also a little apprehensive. What the heck was I going to make with this? I’ve never eaten, let alone cooked with venison sausage in my life! Time was ticking and I had to act fast before the novelty of freshly made-for-me venison wore off.
DING!
It hit me. Jambalaya! I became more giddy at this thought when I noticed in my fridge leftover shredded chicken breast from my Moroccan Stuffed Peppers and celery that was within an inch of its life.
The decision was made.
I can’t imagine you have venison or shredded chicken lying around to add to your jambalaya, but that’s sort of my point. You can use anything you want! Why not? It’s your meal. As long as you’ve got the tomato base with the creole flavor, you won’t screw up.
And hey, while we’re on the topic of being one-pot cooking heroes:
What are your favorite one-pot meals to prepare?
One-Pot Jambalaya
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package andouille sausage, turkey sausage, or chicken sausage, diced
- 1 lb. shrimp, deveined and shelled
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 tsp Creole seasoning*, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 – 14 oz.cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 1 – 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 3 c. unsalted chicken broth
- 1 3/4 c. white rice (I like jasmine rice for this!), uncooked
- salt and pepper to taste
- (Optional) 2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
*I prefer to use Emeril’s Original Essence seasoning in lieu of traditional Creole seasoning because I find it to be the perfect blend of spice without being too salty. Other Creole seasoning blends have too much salt in my opinion.
DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch Oven or large pot. Add sausage, and cook until it’s browned. Remove sausage and add remaining olive oil. Add to the pot celery, pepper, onion and garlic, stirring frequently until softened, 3 minutes. Stir in thyme, paprika and 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning until well incorporated. Return sausage to the pan. Add shrimp and chicken, if you’ve chosen to use it.
Stir in chicken broth, diced and crushed tomatoes, and white rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring frequently to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan.
Throw flour on your face, and serve to your family while telling them tell how hard you worked on creating this delicious meal.
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