In more recent years I have been more prone to reading labels and knowing more about what we are eating. It's been...eye opening!! And not necessarily in a good way! As a result, I'm regularly on the look out for from scratch recipes for things that we like or ingredients that we tend to use frequently that are cleaner and not so processed. Last Thanksgiving I found recipes for the cream of soups, and they are super easy to make and taste way better than the ones from cans. They would be easy to freeze and have on hand in a pinch!
Anyway, one of our favorite in-a-box recipes was jambalaya! It was a pretty frequent dish at our house, we were even able to get a low sodium option! Then I started reading the labels, and I stopped getting it, so sad!! Monosodium glutamate was my big reason! Why is MSG in so much??? It's even in the powdered mix for our favorite ranch dip!!! ADD moment! We stopped getting the jambalaya mix and ever since I've been on the look out for a great recipe...and I found it!! I had to tweak it a little based on what I had in the house, but I think it was close enough to the actual recipe.
Paula Deen's Jambalaya
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Jambalaya Mix, recipe follows
2 1/2 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 lb fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2-3/4 lb medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 1/2 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 lb fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2-3/4 lb medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Jambalaya Mix:
1 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Directions
In a Dutch oven, combine mix, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and smoked sausage. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high head. Add seasonings, Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Serve immediately.
Mama Chef's Tweaks:
I used turkey kielbasa, and we didn't use shrimp this time, I just doubled the kielbasa.
Instead of tomato sauce I used a can of Rotel.
I used beef broth instead of bouillon.
Instead of thyme, black pepper and cayenne pepper I used Cajun seasoning.
We like to top with cheddar cheese and sour cream!
We like to top with cheddar cheese and sour cream!
The final result received 10 thumbs up and 2 dog paws up (baby-L shared his with the dog!)!
