Easy Sausage Jambalaya

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 sausage jambalaya that you can enjoy even during the busy work week.

About this 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.

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 and because you really do not even notice it.

The final result is a giant pan of pure deliciousness!

Ingredients you will need

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 tyoe 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 a 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.

How to make sausage jambalaya

• First, you are going to 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 very finely so that that they almost blend in to the jambalaya. I only want the andouille sausage to really show when the dish is finished cooking.

• Second, you add the cajun sausage and cook that under it begins to crisp up a bit. The bacon, 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.

• The last thing you need to do is 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 steps will really make the rice taste so amazing.

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

I told you this one 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 when making this Sausage Jambalaya

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.

Substitutions for this recipe

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 and 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.

What to serve with sausage jambalaya

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 Aperol sangria for a cocktail to compliment the dish.

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