Ahhh. Crockpot Jambalaya. Savory, spicy, and earthy, Jambalaya is a soothing comfort food as Autumn approaches. Add in the freedom that crockpot cooking gives, and you can even call this recipe easy, kid-friendly, and time-saving!
This recipe was shared by AndreAnna of Primal Matriarch. I love AndreAnna’s story of hard-won weight-loss and regained health — all by switching to grain-free, real, primal foods. If you’re looking to make that sort of switch, or if you already have, you should visit her site for a wealth of inspiring, mouth-watering recipes. You’ll note that instead of rice, this jambalaya recipe uses shredded cauliflower to stay within AndreAnna’s primal diet. It also dramatically reduces the carbs!
AndreAnna writes:
Crockpot Jambalaya
This recipe is inspired by my husband’s cold. Nothing clears the sinuses quite like a spicy jambalaya and with Fall full on us here in the Midwest (and football on TV), I figured Sunday would be a perfect day to throw something spicy in the crockpot. This version is quite spicy but can be altered to your tastes by lowering the amount of hot sauce or using a less spicy sausage. I used this beautiful organic nitrate/hormone-free spicy Andouille I got from my local supermarket.
I also used four peppers – green, red, orange and yellow and cut them coarsely. They look so pretty and fresh!
The rest is easy! Here we go.
Crockpot Jambalaya: The Players
- 5 c. chicken broth (where to buy chicken broth)
- 4 peppers – any color you want, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes (leave the juice)
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 bay leafs
- 1 lb large shrimp, raw and de-veined (where to find sustainably caught shrimp)
- 4 oz. chicken, diced
- 1 pkg spicy Andouille sausage
- 1/2-1 head of cauliflower
- 2 c. okra (optional)
- 3 tbsp Cajun Seasoning* (see below for how-to or use your own)
- 1/4 c. Frank’s Red Hot (or hot sauce of your choice)
Crockpot Jambalaya: The How-To
1) Put the chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, chicken, cajun seasoning, Red Hot, and bay leafs in the crockpot with the chicken stock. As you can see, I grabbed a container of my homemade stock directly from the freezer and threw it in. Set on low for 6 hours.
(Here it is almost melted! House already smelled amazing at this point!)
2) About 30 minutes before it’s finished, toss in the cut up sausages.
3) While this is cooking quickly make cauliflower rice by pulsing raw cauliflower in the food processor until it resembles rice.
4) For the last 20 minutes, add in the cauliflower rice and the raw shrimp. Note: You can choose to quickly steam the cauliflower rice in the microwave and serve the jambalaya OVER it as well.
5) Enjoy clear sinuses!!
*How to Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning (from Emeril!):
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Yields about 2/3 c.
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I love jambalaya and I haven’t made it in years. Thanks for the recipe I’m going to try it out this week.
That looks so good!!
Looks so good! Too bad that I have a bad reaction to tomatoes! I am really missing some dishes that contain tomatoes in them!
Amy,
Jambalaya doesn’t contain tomatoes. Creole Jambalaya does. I’m a Cajun from New Orleans. We don’t cook with tomatoes. Commercialism uses tomatoes, Creole is basically a smorgasbord of flavors. I have an awesome recipe for Chicken & Sausage Gumbo that I make by the gallon. I was taught in Acadia Parish by Cajuns who can barely speak English to NEVER put tomatoes in your food, We do use it in Maque Choux though. That’s smothered corn.
yup…very true. I learned how cook Cajun when I lived in Lake Charles after I got out of the Army. My ex-wife’s family are one of the original Acadians that got booted from Canada and settled outside of Lake Charles. I love making a big pot of gumbo and living off of it for a few days hehehe, Gumbo is pretty easy to make and is soo yummy. I live up in the Chicago area, so there is not a lot of Cajun places here, so I am pretty much on my own. I even found a source for live crawfish that isn’t too expensive, so i am thinking of doing a crawfish boil sometime this summer.
I am also from the Chicago area! Can you tell me your crawfish source? I am a former southerner and miss it so!!
We love Cajun food and would love to get some of your recipes. Thanks anything would be helpful.
I’ve had to modify my jambalaya as hubby doesn’t like rice. Took me 5YEARS to do basmati rice. I don’t measure but here goes:
1c basmati rice
1 onion chopped
1# sausage (NOT IT sweet!!)
bell pepper
garlic
thyme
bay leaf
S&P
2.5 c chicken stock
Brown sausage (andoullie, hot cajun, whatever you like but NOT It sweet!!). Remove from pan. sweat onion, garlic and bell pepper (I use 1/4 wedge) in fat. When brwoned add rice and coat. Turn up heat, add stock. Bring to boil, then turn down to simmer.
Before putting lid on, add S&P, thyme to cover, a couple bay leaves, and I add a shake of red pepper flakes (personal taste). Stir then cover.
Simmer and taste test at 20 min. If you browned your meat & veggies correctly then the rice will have a brown tint. There should be no liquid and the rice will be perfect. This makes a LOT! I add additional meat because of hubby; chopped ham, shrimp at last 10 minute.
I use sea salt & fresh cracked 4-peppercorn; so add to taste. I PC my stock w/o salt; no freezer room!
Thanks so much for featuring my recipe!
Oh, that looks amazing! I can’t wait to make this one.
This is going on my to-do list this week. Sounds like a great recipe for when I have some friends for dinner Tuesday! Thanks!!!
This looks great! I wouldn’t personally microwave that nutritious cauliflower–yowza!! But I would steam it on the stovetop. Can’t wait to try this!
I just put the cauliflower right in, but when I make cauliflower rice, I do use the microwave. Studies have shown that microwaving vegetables helps retain the nutrients and antioxidants over boiling (unless you plan to drink the water/broth you cook/steam them in and most are leached out in the water).
From this article:
“In general, microwaving or griddling — heating the vegetable on a heavy skillet without oil — did the best job of preserving antioxidant activity, [Dr. A. M. Jimenez-Monreal of the University of Murcia] and colleagues found…Boiling and pressure cooking generally caused the greatest loss of antioxidant capacity, with frying being a little better than these methods and a little worse than microwaving or griddle-cooking. “In short, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables,” the researchers say.”
Again, some people shun microwave use altogether, which boils down to a personal decision, as anything of course.
This looks like a great recipe for upcoming cold fall-winter season 🙂
The tiger shrimp looks so yummy.
Crockpot recipes are my favorites!
I am currently temporarily living in a barracks, have lived in Louisiana for 18 years. I cook once a week to take to work with me, so I need easy recipes that can be done in a crock pot or on the bbq. There is no kitchen here, hasn’t been built yet.
This was not quite jambalaya, but closer to a really good hearty soup. I really liked the cauliflower addition, my wife thought it funny, because I really don’t like raw cauliflower. This recipe will definitely be used with our two boys. I used 1/4 cup of Tabasco, so it really smelled good while cooking, as well as causes a little “moisture” to leak off your forehead while eating. I can eat this for lunch and I’m still full at dinner. Great recipe!
This is SO good. Even shared it with friends, who couldn’t believe that it was cauliflower and not rice. Definitely going to make again. Thanks!
I see that you have tomatoes listed in the ingredients but they’re not mentioned anywhere in the instructions…
if this is not a jambalaya can someone post a recipe? Have made it minus the hot chilli sauce and everyone went back for seconds. PS just chuck in the tomatoes with the stock. It does taste better the second day!
I just want to let you know that I pinned a link to this recipe on pinterest a couple-ish months ago and my phone is still constantly blowing from emails of people repinning and liking this recipe. SO GOOD. 🙂
At what point do you add the canned tomatoes? It is in the ingredient list but not in the instructions – is this added with the chicken broth in the early part of cooking or at the end?
Can anyone give me an answer about when and if the tomatoes go in?
The instructions for the tomatoes is in first line of the instructions. It’s added in the beginning
Thanks. I’ma need more than 1 shrimp for mine though.
This looks absolutely fan tas tic! Delicious, healthy real food. I will check out PrimalMatriarch as well. Thanks!
What is the final yield? 1.5 gallons or more?
Hi,
When I saw the email saying Crockpot Jambalaya
I was very intrigued and excited! However, seeing the
picture made me realize you have your recipes confused.
There is no liquid left in true Cajun jambalaya when it is
completely cooked. The recipe picture and instructions say
to me gumbo or stew.
Yours in healthy eating,
Kelley Owens, Baton Rouge, LA by way of New Orleans, LA
So relieved that you’ve pointed out that this is gumbo, and not jambalaya. Jambalaya is a rice dish, not soupy. Sure wish someone would change the name….
when should I put the okra in? at the beginning with the other veggies?
I would also like to know when to add the okra!
I love this Crock Pot recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it. I’m on a blog hop today, blogging about my book and adding a recipe. I chose Shrimp and Andouille Jambalaya. But I never thought of making it in a crock pot. I’m going to share this link in my blog.
Smiles,
Linda Joyce
Having lived in Louisiana all my life, and been raised by a Cajun who didn’t even speak English until he was 5 years old, I tell you on good authority when I agree with the previous commenters that this is not jambalaya. I can’t call it gumbo either, as gumbo ALWAYS starts with a roux (which is flour fried in fat until it turns the color of chocolate). It sounds like a tasty soup though!
Does the chicken need to be cooked or can it be raw?
In a crockpot you can get away with putting it in raw. If it were me, I would cook my sausage, then cook down my veggies in the sausage grease, then add my chicken.
I also concur with the previous statements; this is not a true jambalaya, but rather a soup. Nomenclature aside, it tastes good!
This is a delicious recipe. My husband and I have made it several times. BUT would you please change the name? Jambalaya is not a soup. Jambalaya is a rice dish, and that’s what we were expecting. This is gumbo. 🙂 We see this mistake all the time: people calling their soup of the day “Jambalaya soup” when “gumbo” is what they mean. It would lessen the confusion for the LA natives and transplants.
That said, we have loved the recipes here and the blog in general. You have been a big part of our transition to whole-foods cooking over the last four years. Thanks for all the time you take for this venture.
I guess I’ll put the chicken in with the sausage? I thawed the chicken, but you forgot to add it in your cooking directions.
<3
I use ham stock (smoked ham hocks) instead of chicken; it has a lot more flavor!
Nutrition facts?
We love this recipe. How many calories would you say are in a cup of this soup
“1 large can of organic diced tomatoes (leave the juice)” What does a large can of diced come out to in ounces?