Jambalaya!

Yum.

This is one of Steve's favorite meals that I make.

He just told me that last week when I made it.

He said that he doesn't ask for it very often because he always thought it was really complicated to cook.

Wrong!

It is very easy.

Delicious and simple...gotta love that!

It's also pretty hearty, but doesn't require the use of the oven, so if you are getting tired of the light, cool meals of summer and looking for something a little more substantial, this would be perfect!

You can make substitutions to use what you have on hand (or because you can't find andouille sausage anywhere in town...boo!); sometimes I leave out the ham, sometimes I sub out andouille sausage for kielbasa or hot Italian sausage or chicken (although, that makes it less authentic...but still delicious!). I use red pepper instead of green pepper, because it's what I had in the fridge.

Go ahead and play around with the spices, too. I used all dried herbs (crazy, I know), and like to make it spicy.

Go ahead and show your surprise.

I will leave you with the basic recipe and you can tweak it however your heart desires! Just make this soon!

I serve it with some crusty bread and if I'm feeling ambitious, a salad.

And it is even better the next day.

Jambalaya (serves 4 very hungry people, or 6 moderately hungry people)

• 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I take the tails off too)
• 8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 cup of cubed cooked ham (you could also sub cubed cooked chicken)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup uncooked rice
• 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes (regular or fire-roasted), undrained
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven; add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic; saute until tender. Note: if you are using bulk Italian sausage like I did last time (instead of cooked sausage), brown the meat at the same time...it imparts a great flavor on the veggies too). Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, rice, sausage, thyme, basil, bay leaves, and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer, covered, until the rice is tender (about 15 - 20 minutes). Check seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed. Increase heat to boiling again and add raw shrimp. Cook until just opaque. Add ham and heat through, checking seasonings one more time. Discard bay leaves...Enjoy!!!

Printable Recipe