Cajun Style Jambalaya With Sausage

About This Cajun Style Jambalaya

This jambalaya is a Cajun Jambalaya and not a Creole Jambalaya since it is not made with tomatoes and it focuses primarily on land meats (the bacon and sausage.) This style of Jambalaya comes from the country side of Louisiana and if you want to learn more about the history of this dish which I think is so interesting, you can find more about it here.

I prefer this style and in fact it was the first way I tried Jambalaya and loved it. A friend of mine from Louisiana taught me this dish and his super quick way of seasoning it with cajun hot sauce.

In true Jambalaya fashion, a little bit of this and a little bit of that is thrown in to this recipe and it all cooks up super quick and all in one pot. This dish is very customizable so if there is something that you don’t have, don’t worry. Add what you like and follow the cooking steps for a delicious easy dinner.

What You Will Need

• Andouille sausage and bacon (or cajun-style sausage). This type of sausage is a smoked sausage and it is going to give so much flavor to the jambalaya.
• Chicken stock. The chicken stock flavors the rice in this sausage jambalaya.
• Rice. I like to use long-grain rice like basmati. You can also use a shorter-grain rice.
• My version of the holy trinity: Onions, Garlic, red and green peppers. If you want the classic holy trinity blend, just omit the red peppers and add celery.
• Louisiana-style hot sauce (Crystal Hot sauce is what I use!) The hot sauce will give a little heat to the sausage jambalaya but not too much and it is one of the base flavors in this Jambalaya.
• Yellow squash (optional). I just like to add this for extra veggies!

How To Make Cajun Jambalaya With Sausage

(full recipe and quantities below)

1. Sauté the bacon and aromatics (and any veggies that you do decide to add!): This is going to be part of the base flavor for the recipe. I like to chop these aromatics and veggies finely so that they almost blend into the jambalaya. I only want the andouille sausage to really show when the dish is finished cooking.

2. Add the cajun sausage: The bacon, and sausage in addition to the aromatics we cooked in the first step are going to be the flavor for this delicious and easy jambalaya. Make sure to cook them until almost crisp.

Why This Step Is Important: By cooking the bacon and andouille sausage before adding the liquids, all of the amazing flavors from the two are allowed to render out into the pan. This makes for a delicious flavor base for the rice to soak up later.

3. Add remaining ingredients: Now add the rice, stock, and hot sauce and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. You just cook this like you would a pot of rice. This is where the jambalaya really comes together. All the work (barely work) we did in the first couple of steps will really make the rice taste so amazing.

The hot sauce is of course the spicy element that you need in a jambalaya.

Tips And Substitutions

• Swap out the hot sauce: Many Cajuns use hot sauce to make a quick jambalaya but you can also use cajun seasoning.
• Add more meat: For a more traditional jambalaya recipe, add some chicken. Just make sure to season it well with cajun spices or even make it a blackened chicken that you cut up. Remember, this is an easy jambalaya recipe so don't stress out about having every ingredient.
• Add more veggies: Add in some okra or canned black-eyed peas.
• Add more heat: Make this dish your own and add more spice to it if you prefer spicy food.

Storing And Reheating

This jambalaya makes amazing leftovers! To store it, allow it to come to room temperature then place it in a container with a lid. I like to reheat the jambalaya in a microwave-safe bowl on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

To ensure the rice doesn't dry out during reheating, place a slightly moistened paper towel over the jambalaya while heating in the microwave.