Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Quick and easy jambalaya

Hi! Winnie Griggs here. Jambalaya is one of my favorite foods partly because it is so versatile. I fix it often and never the exact same way twice. Cooking it 'right' takes a bit of time, but over the years, I've come up with a few short cuts for when I'm in a hurry. That's the version I cooked for supper last night and I thought I'd share the recipe with you today


I keep instant rice along with dehydrated versions of onions, green onions and celery on hand for just such times.

Take whatever meat you have on hand - last night I used some left over turkey and some sausage I had in the freezer - totaled about two or so pounds of meat.

Toss the meat in the skillet with some fat free italian dressing in place of cooking oil.

Cook the instant rice using package instructions (I also add chicken bullion cubes to the boiling water for added flavor).

Reconstitute the veggies (I don't measure, but ballpark it was two tablespoons of the onion, one tablespoon of the green onions and probably a teaspoon of the celery) and add them to the meat.

Let the meat and seasonings sautee for about fifteen minutes, adding water as necessary to keep from burning.

Stir in the cooked rice, a dash of worcestershire sauce and whatever seasonings strike your fancy (I like cajun spices) and let cook another fifteen minutes or so until flavors blend well.

And that's it - stove to table in 40 minutes. As I said, nothing beats the flavor of my momma's way of cooking it, but this is a satisfying second!

So what about you - do you have a favorite version of this down home meal that you want to share?

15 comments:

  1. This is fantastic! Thanks Winnie!

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  2. I've never made jambalaya. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever eaten it! But it sounds delicious. Thanks Winnie!

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  3. Cool, I made that last night...didn't know there was a name for it! LOL

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  4. Yum! My husband makes a fantastic Jambalaya, but it takes him several hours. Your version looks easy.

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  5. Camy - you're quite welcome!

    Karen - oh my, you're missing a real treat if you haven't had jambalaya. But you really should try to real thing first - it's fabulous! This is just my 'when I'm in a hurry or feeling lazy' version

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  6. Sandra - LOL - so what did you call the dish you made?

    Julia - yep, my mom spends several hours on hers as well, and the flavors are soooo much richer when you do that.

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  7. Winnie, you should post your mom's recipe, too! I'd love an authentic family recipe. Not much opportunity to eat real jambalaya where I grew up. :P

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  8. Sounds delish. I'll have to make it sometime. To save even more time, I'd already have the rice cooked from a previous meal.

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  9. I've never made or tasted jambalaya Winnie! Thanks for introducing me to it :)

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  10. you know I have never heard of Jambalaya before.

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  11. Kim you've got the right idea - it's my favorite use for leftover rice!

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  12. Eva - you're welcome, but again, this a short cut version - the real thing is much more delish!

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  13. Jenny it's a staple meal in south Louisiana, often cooked with wild game. Growing up I had it with rabbit, duck, venison and even squirrel!

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  14. I buy Kroger brand, frozen sliced sweet onions and red-yellow-green peppers. They're an easy way to get great flavor without all the slicing. Plus, they're cheap.

    Throw them in a skillet with garlic, add ground chicken, cut okra, Italian style tomotoes and a can of tomato paste, seasonings and serve on a whole wheat wrap. Easy and yummy!

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