Shrimp & Vegetable Jambalaya (Instant Pot Recipe)

Jambalaya is a spicy one pot rice dish native to West Africa. It uses a combination of onion, celery, green pepper, thyme, in addition to sausage, shrimp, and/or chicken. There are two versions: Cajun and Creole. Creole Jambalaya uses tomatoes and creole seasoning and Cajun Jambalaya omits tomatoes and uses Cajun seasoning. I didn’t have a chance to pick up Creole seasoning so I used Cajun seasoning and tomatoes and therefore this recipe is definitely not an authentic one.

In the version I’ve prepared below, I have omitted the chicken simply because we don’t consume chicken anymore and have used shrimp instead. To make this a completely vegetarian dish, simply omit the shrimp and use soy sauce in place of the Worcestershire sauce. Most Worcestershire sauces contain shrimp paste. The recipe can be easily halved for smaller families.

Shrimp & Vegetable Jambalaya RECIPE

Makes: 8 – 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of long grain rice, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned with tails on
• 3 Tbsp. oil of choice (we use EVOO)
• 1 pack of vegetarian sausages, cut into rounds
• 6 stalks of green onions, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• half of a green pepper, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 16oz can of fire-grilled crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. cajun seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• hot pepper sauce to taste
• chilli flakes to taste
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Turn on the Saute feature on the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, onions, sausages, green pepper, celery, garlic, and saute until onions and sausages are lightly browned.
2. Turn on the saute feature again, add the tomatoes, kidney beans, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, chilli flakes, hot pepper sauce, worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt to taste, and let the sauce thicken (about ten minutes).
3. Switch to the rice feature, add the rice, shrimp, and broth. Put the lid on and seal the top.
4. Once the rice is done, carefully release the steam. Let the rice sit for five minutes then add the parsley and fluff.
5. Add sliced green onions, and enjoy!