How would you rate Smoked Sausage Jambalaya?
I made some tweaks and I figured I’d share them.
I used 2 13 oz. packs of smoked sausage like Hillshire Farms/Smithfield since andouille sausage was unavailable. (Avoid the Wegman’s version – it’s awful.) I sliced the first pack into disks and for the second pack I cut the disks in half to have a more even distribution of meat in the final dish. I microwaved the sausage in 4 batches for about 60 seconds on a plate, first laying down a paper towel to absorb the fat, and put them in a bowl. Then just before adding them to the pot I microwaved the whole bowl an additional 45 seconds.
I doubled the amount of garlic to 4 cloves because we like garlic. 🙂
I browned the onions and celery in about 2 pats of butter since I didn’t have any fat from browning the sausages. I added the garlic last since it cooks much faster than the onions and celery.
I used 2 cups of rice instead of 2 and a half. It’s still plenty of rice. I also substituted 2 cups of chicken stock for the water and then added 1 and a half cups of tap water.
Instead of canned tomatoes I used 28 oz. of tomato puree. This worked just fine.
I added two 15.5 oz. cans of Goya small white beans to give the jambalaya a little more depth. This worked fine too.
I added between 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It added a nice kick. (Be very careful with this – a little goes a long way.)
Other than those tweaks I followed the base recipe. I found that the rice took a lot more time to absorb the liquid than the recipe said – more like 60 minutes than 25. I stirred frequently (the rice has a tendency to fall to bottom of the pot and will burn if you don’t stir it every 10 minutes. After 30 minutes on the stove I turned the burner off.
When the rice was tender we tucked in. It was terrific and we’re going to get an easy 8 servings out of the leftovers.
Thanks Epicurious!
The recipe came out good. Ended up doubling the sausage in my recipe. Also added cajun seasoning.
Delicious! My family and I love it! I made it one night just trying to throw something together using what we had. I use Rajun Cajun Hot andouille sausage and Cajun seasoned smoked sausage. I only use onion as my family doesn’t care for celery and we hardly ever have a bell pepper. I also season it with Tony Cachere’s creole seasoning. Also, I add 2 teaspoons of concentrated chicken stock. It turns out amazing!
Scallions and spring onions are not technically the same. Spring onions are small bulbous onions with long thin greens. Scallions are just long and skinny.
If you want your rice to cook properly, dry roast it and cook separately or leave out the tomato products until the rice is cooked then add them. Tomatoes are acidic and prevent the rice from cooking properly.
I would add some Kashmiri chile powder (a little because it is very hot).
Some other Cajun spices would help too.
And, way too much rice.
I rated this 3 stars because it would be delicious, but I would have to alter it a lot to want to make it again as Jumbalaya. : )Outstanding Dish!!!
A bit much rice, and your sausage buy will really make/break you in the spice you feel. I added no additional spices, and it had a moderate amount of “kick” to it. I would definitely cut the rice by a 1/2 cup or so. Be prepared to eat it for about three days later.Followed the recipe exactly and the rice did not cook well and was still “crunchy” and gummy even after additional time. Next time would use 1/2 less rice and a little more sausage. However the flavors were really good in this dish.
I made this while on vacation in New Orleans where the grocery stores have spicy smoked sausage. It helped perk up this recipe with spice, but it still needed some hot sauce. I’d make it again with the addition of cayenne pepper.
I made the recipe as written. It was a disappointing and pale imitation of any jambalaya I have eaten. I tried it again, cutting the rice to 1 1/4 cups, the tomatoes to a 16 oz. can, adding 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, a pinch of saffron, a pinch of cayenne, and substituting 1 cup chicken broth and 3/4 cup water. After the jambalaya cooked and was standing, I sauteed 1/2 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp in some olive oil and added it to the pot before fluffing the rice. I believe it was much improved.
Wish I could have given a higher rating. I Love Jambalaya. This was my first attempt to make it from scratch without any prepackaged spices. This was only good. I tweaked it a little to my taste. I agree with a previous reviewer, I def added much more sausage than recommended by the recipe. I also added some black beans to it. Next time I make it, I’m not adding canned tomatoes directly to the pot. I would prefer to either use fresh tomatoes, or at least sautee the canned ones before adding to the rice. I could totally taste the canned tomatoes. Not so good.
We loved this Jambalaya! I made a few
changes to the recipe: I used 3/4 cup of
brown rice instead of white, added 1 lb of
cooked shrimp, 1 teas of cayenne pepper
and eliminated the green peppers. I will
definitely make this again!This Jambalaya was very good. My husband and I have over 20+ years in the restaurant/hospitality industry. This is a dish that I would make again and order if it were offered at a restaurant. I did make a few modifications to the recipe. We prefer to eat a little healthier so I used 14 oz of Turkey Kielbasa (still had plenty of flavor), reduced the amount of rice to 1 1/2 cups, used 1 cup water and approx. 2 cups Chicken broth (I added by sight rather than measuring) and a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes. I added crushed red pepper flakes and a few dashes of white pepper for a little kick (I was out of Cajun seasoning). It was delicious. If you like “hot” dishes definitely add seasoning. In our home we prefer good flavor over heat alone. Next time I would add a little Cajun seasoning, but other than that it was great.
My first time making Jambalaya. Loved it, but added Cayenne Pepper, two bay leaves, four sprigs of thyme, paprika, cajun seasoning, and a chicken breast.
Me and my mom love to cook..even though were not gourmet. I sawn this and thought it looked great…I tried it out and it ended up being ALOT OF FOOD!! I recomend cutting the recipe in half but leaving the amount of sausage the Same. We added some of our own Cajun spices to give it some flare. It was delightful. And we will be sure to make it again soon 🙂
This makes a great meal with a few added bits!
So I am from the UK and to help translate for others scallions are spring onions!
So I followed the recipe exactly except I used half water and half chicken stock, added 2tbsp of worcester sauce, 2tsp of paprika and 1tsp of creole/cajun seasoning. I also used Chorizo as I couldn’t find Andouille or Kielbasa anaywhere.
I had 5 very good portions at the end of everything and no mistakes. Would definitely cook this again.Ok, if you are a Jambalaya newbie, this may be your recipe. I have never made or ate Jambalaya before but my husband has and loves it. It was a simple recipe to follow and if you follow the recipe to the T you will have great results.
Being an experienced foodie/cook I tweaked the following…. Smoked Hot Sausage instead of Andouille, Beef Boullion (add no other salt), and cayenne pepper. I read some of the reviews and made those tweaks based on what the said and my husband said it was delicious. Oh and I really enjoyed it too. Making again next week.
