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    Home » Recipes

    Published: Sep 27, 2021 Updated: Oct 13, 2023 By: Melissa Oleary

    Easy Sausage Jambalaya

    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    8 comments
    5 from 9 votes

    If you are looking for a really easy one-pot meal that is big on flavor then you will love this easy sausage jambalaya recipe. The seasoning for this super easy jambalaya you probably already have on hand and the end result is a fluffy, flavorful, and delicious dinner that you can enjoy even during the busy work week.

    sausage jambalaya top view
    Sausage Jambalaya

    One Pot Sausage Jambalaya recipe

    I love one-pot meals that are big on flavor and easy to make. This easy sausage jambalaya recipe checks off all of those boxes.

    Jambalaya is such a classic Southern recipe. It is as classic as peach cobbler, homemade biscuits, or Cajun gumbo. It can sometimes be a little time-consuming to make, especially with all of the traditional ingredients.

    To keep it simple, I opted to use just andouille sausage and bacon for the meat portion of this jambalaya. You can add diced chicken to the recipe if you like to make it authentic.

    I also added some diced yellow squash to boost the health benefits to make it a more complete meal because you really do not even notice it.

    The final result is a giant pan of pure deliciousness!

    sausage jambalaya angle view
    One pot Jambalaya

    Ingredients

    There are not many ingredients you will need for this sausage jambalaya and many of these you may already have on hand. Here is what you will need:

    • Andouille sausage (or cajun-style sausage). This type of sausage 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.
    • Onions.
    • Garlic.
    • Red and green peppers.
    • 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.
    • Yellow squash (optional). I just like to add this in for extra veggies!

    Traditional sausage jambalaya recipes include the Cajun holy trinity which is onion, green pepper, and celery. I am not a fan of celery so I omitted this from the recipe. You can add that in if you like!

    This sausage jambalaya is so amazingly simple. You just need to sauté your ingredients first and then you add your chicken stock, hot sauce, and rice to it all and put a lid on it.

    The Cajuns really know how to do one-pot meals well and this is definitely one of their easier ones.

    jambalaya

    How to make

    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.

    jambalaya vegetables
    Sauté bacon and veggies.
    1. Add the cajun sausage and cook that under it begins to crisp up a bit. 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.

    By cooking the bacon and andouille sausage before we add 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.

    adding sausage to jambalaya
    Add andouille sausage.
    1. Now add the rice, stock and hot sauce. You just cook this like you would a pot of rice. So simple!

    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.

    ingredients jambalaya
    Add the stock, hot sauce, rice and cover.

    I told you this sausage jambalaya was simple! If you have time to make rice you can make this easy jambalaya.

    If you want to make things even simpler, you can prep your vegetables and sausage ahead of time.

    Just store in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

    Tips/Substitutions

    If I do not have Louisiana hot sauce can I use something else?

    Absolutely. Many Cajuns just use this hot sauce to make a quick jambalaya but you can also use cajun seasoning.

    You can find my homemade cajun seasoning recipe with my sausage and chicken gumbo post.

    There are some items that are essential in making a proper jambalaya. Here are those essentials: Chicken stock or broth, rice, at least one meat, cajun seasoning, onions, garlic, and peppers.

    You can substitute what meat you use and if you choose to add more vegetables to your jambalaya. A traditional jambalaya will have sausage and chicken.

    If you only have chicken then use this and make sure to season it well with cajun spices. Remember, this is an easy jambalaya recipe so don't stress out about having every ingredient.

    Try your best to have the essentials listed above and the rest will come together.

    sausage jambalaya angle view

    Serving Ideas

    This sausage jambalaya recipe is really a meal on its own but you can certainly add more to it with the addition of some delicious side dishes. We like our spinach and mushroom salad or our chopped kale salad for a light side dish option.

    We also really love serving a refreshing Switchel for a non-alcoholic drink or an Aperol sangria for a cocktail to compliment the dish.

    More sausage recipes

    If you love this sausage jambalaya recipe, you may also like these:

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      Sausage and Peppers (Italian Style)
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      One Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup
    • za'atar chicken and sausage on a sheet pan
      Sheet Pan Chicken and Sausage with Veggies
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      Sausage and Kale with Lasagna Noodles

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    Recipe Faqs

    What is jambalaya?

    A jambalaya is a classic Cajun dish made up of rice, stock, and meats, usually, chicken and sausage. Seafood is often added to jambalaya as well. The most common seafood used is shrimp.

    What is the Cajun holy trinity?

    The Cajun holy trinity is made up of three ingredients (trinity meaning three), onions, celery, and green pepper.

    sausage jambalaya top view
    Print Recipe
    5 from 9 votes

    Easy One Pot Sausage Jambalaya

    A delicious and simple one pot sausage jambalaya recipe that makes the perfect quick meal.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time25 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Servings: 8 servings

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa Oleary

    Equipment

    • large heavy bottom pan with lid

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces Andouille sausage cut into ½ inch thick pieces
    • 4 cups chicken stock
    • 2 cups basmati rice or any long grain rice
    • 4 ounces bacon
    • ½ green pepper diced diced
    • 1 red bell pepper diced diced
    • 1 small yellow onion diced diced
    • 2 cloves of garlic finely diced
    • 1 large yellow squash diced optional
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon Louisiana style hot sauce Plus more to taste. I prefer Crystal Louisiana hot sauce.
    • ½ tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste

    Instructions

    • In a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat add your olive oil.
      2 tablespoon olive oil
    • Now add your bacon and crisp up, about 5 minutes.
      4 ounces bacon
    • Add your onions, peppers, squash and garlic and cook for a few minutes.
      ½ green pepper diced, 1 red bell pepper diced, 1 small yellow onion diced, 1 large yellow squash diced, 2 cloves of garlic
    • Now add your andouille sausage and cook for a couple minutes to sweat out some of the flavor from the sausage.
      12 ounces Andouille sausage
    • Add your stock, salt and rice and mix it in well.
      4 cups chicken stock, 2 cups basmati rice, ½ tablespoon kosher salt
    • Add 2 tablespoons of your hot sauce.
      2 tablespoon Louisiana style hot sauce
    • Turn your heat to high and bring to a boil.
    • Once it is boiling, reduce heat to low and place a tight fitting lid over the top.
    • Cook for about 20 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
    • Remove from the heat and fluff up with a fork.
    • Serve immediately.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 577mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :Main Course

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Dylan says

      February 17, 2023 at 5:23 am

      This has become a staple in our house, thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        February 17, 2023 at 12:56 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Bryan says

      October 07, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      Very easy and tasted amazing

      Reply
    3. Melissa says

      September 24, 2022 at 12:52 pm

      Thank you JR!

      Reply
    4. Melissa says

      September 22, 2022 at 11:32 am

      I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
    5. Melissa says

      September 22, 2022 at 11:31 am

      I am so glad to hear!

      Reply
    6. Melissa says

      September 22, 2022 at 12:54 am

      Thank you 🙂

      Reply
    7. Soph says

      August 03, 2022 at 10:33 pm

      5 stars
      So flavorful! definitely going to make this one again

      Reply

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    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website to share easy recipes that I have been cooking for years. I have written hundreds of easy recipes that are tested and perfected. Some of the recipes I learned during my years of working in restaurants, some from owning my own food company and others come from friends and traveling.

    More about me →

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