Sunday Supper – Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

It’s time for another Sunday Supper!  The weather here has been cold, and we have been busy organizing the house now that all the holiday festivities and parties are over.  I decided to give our garage storage room a major makeover, so I have been working all weekend on that as well. Mario, although not working at the house has been super busy at work in the middle of a New Year’s Sale.   Basically we were really needing something warm and cozy to kick off the new year and  stick to our ribs for a much needed New Year energy boost.

Of course this being the first Sunday in January, when everyone is eating lighter and healthier, including us, I also wanted it to be on the lighter side. I decided to go with the unbelievably delicious Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya recipe from Amelia Durand via The Barefoot Contessa.  Although this recipe is filling, spicy, and satisfying, it’s also pretty healthy, full of lean protein and veggies, and gluten free.  A few weeks ago, my mom found some turkey Andouille sausage and I stuck it in the freezer in anticipation of making this meal.  If you can’t find turkey Andouille at the grocery store, any spicy or smoked turkey sausage will be fine.  And likewise, if you aren’t watching your waistline, you can use regular Andouille, kielbasa, or any spicy or smoked sausage.  The fresh herbs and lemon juice at the end also add great freshness and lightness to this warm and hearty one pot supper.

I follow the recipe pretty closely with just a few small exceptions,  I don’t like green bell pepper so use red, orange, and yellow and I add three instead of two.  I use double the garlic and jalapeno for extra spice.  I also use one can of fire roasted tomatoes rather than the fresh tomato.

Here’s what you’ll need: fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, olive oil, long grain rice, chicken broth, pepper, bay leaves, and salt.

And for the veggies: jalapeno, celery, bell pepper, lemon, onion, green onion, oregano, parsley, and thyme.

And finally: smoked ham, sausage, and shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Chop the ham into bite size pieces.

Slice the sausage on a diagonal.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and brown the ham.

Remove the ham, and set aside.  Add the sausage and brown.

Next, chop the onion and celery.

I like to use the leafy ends of the celery, they have so much flavor!

Remove and sausage from the pan and add 1 tablespoon butter, onions, and celery. Season with salt and pepper.

Chop the bell pepper.  I just love these colors!

If you like it SPICY chop the jalapenos whole. If you like it a little more mild, remove the seeds and then chop.

For this recipe I like to remove the seeds and add extra hot sauce.  I think you can control the heat a little easier.

Chop the garlic.

Chop the oregano and thyme.

I think I used a little more fresh herbs than the recipe called for, but I had so many and I didn’t want them to go to waste.

Sauté the bell peppers with the onion and celery.

Add the herbs, garlic, and jalapeno.

Give it a good stir, and add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 2 – 3 min.

Add the chicken broth, hot sauce, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then add the rice and cook for 20 minutes over low heat.

Chop the green onions and the parsley.

Pour a glass of wine or bubbly.

And then you wait.

And I actually forgot to take a picture of the final step, sorry but it was late and we were HUNGRY.

After the rice is cooked, add the lemon juice, half the parsley and green onion as well as the shrimp.

Stir everything to combine, turn off the heat, and cover, allowing the jambalaya to steam for 20 minutes.  The shrimp will steam and cook perfectly.

Add the remaining green onion and parsley.

And then dig in!  Well actually this picture was after we had already dug in.  Again we were HUNGRY and this jambalaya is so GOOD!

I can’t tell you just how good this dish is.  So you’ll need to try it for yourself.

Don’t forget to add some extra hot sauce, ENJOY!!

For the full recipe please click here.