Louisiana Sausage Jambalaya

Grace Lynn's Note:

Oh Boy, is this one good! It's a simple, but very authentic Louisiana jambalaya recipe given to me by a friend who grew up in New Orleans! Nice and spicy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• ½ cup butter
• 2 yellow onions , chopped
• 4 stalks celery , chopped
• 5 green onions , chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper , chopped
• 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 1 serrano chili pepper , finely chopped with seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme , crumbled
• 1 ½ lbs andouille sausages or 1 ½ lbs smoked sausage , sliced into 1/2 inch slices,then cut into quartered wedges
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 cups long-grain rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions, green onions, bell pepper, garlic, serrano chile, bay leaves, Creole Seasoning, cayenne pepper and thyme.
3. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
4. Add sausage, broth, tomatoes and rice.
5. Bring mixture to simmer.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

Reviews

[GetU4ThatCoconut]

We cut down the sausage to 12 oz, added 2 large chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch pieces) and about 12 shrimp (put these in the last 5 minutes of cooking)... it turned out great. DH said it could use more heat, even though I doubled the cayenne... next time I may add 2 serrano chilis, or find another way to increase the heat... overall, really tasty!

[Cook In Southwest]

I cut the recipe in half as I didn't want 10 servings. I have to admit I substituted the sausage. I used bulk breakfast sausage, like Jimmy Deans but different brand. I also altered the method. I browned the sausage then added the veges. Because I had the fat from the sausage, I reduced the butter to 1 Tbsp. I also used a whole can of tomatoes, in spite of cutting the recipe in half, as others had commented that more liquid was required and didn't want to save 1/2 the can of tomatoes. I actually had to add liquid to about double the recipe amount to get the rice done and soft. It was a great tasting recipe, (I would have preferred it to be spicier) but I got no compliments, no doubt due to the fact it took too long to get done. I'm not saving this to my "favorites" folder, but it's worth a try if you want a substitute for the boxed stuff.

[aabanerjee]

I needed a recipe for just sausage (no chicken or shrimp) and this one worked perfectly. I made double the amount and used a mix of Andouille chicken and Andouille pork, keeping one of each out to pan fry and use as garnish. The smell, since I used basmati rice, is unique and yumtastic.

Even without the thyme and using chili powder instead of cayenne, it's tasty. And you can make it using brown rice, but don't add more than 1/3 extra cup of chicken broth. I added 1/2 cup extra and am having to steam away the excess liquid.