Food Friday: 30 Minute Jambalaya

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a recipe post. I am happy to start back up recipe blogging with this deliciousness: 30 minute Jambalaya!  I modified this recipe from Robin Miller’s “Quick Fix Meals.”  It’s one of those books that claims to have a bunch of recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less – you know, the kind that actually take an hour or more the first time you make them.  Well, this recipe (once the prep work is done) actually does take only 30 minutes to make.  The prep work doesn’t take that long, but I would recommend prepping ahead if you are trying to make this on a weeknight with a toddler pulling on your apron. (Who am I kidding?  I don’t wear aprons!)  All kidding aside, I highly recommend this cook book – it has great tips for how to prep ahead for weeknight meals, as well as meal kit recipes and ideas for morphing one recipe into several different meals.  It's a great book for the working mom. (I'm sure it's great for stay at home moms, too.  They're just as strapped for time, but in a different way!)

Without further ado, here is the recipe as I made it:

Ingredients:

Jambalaya

1 cup rice

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can mild diced chile peppers

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts)

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp dried oregano

1 kielbasa type sausage

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1.     Cook rice

2.     Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, bell pepper, Chile peppers and garlic.  Cook about 3 minutes

3.     Add chicken, cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

4.     Add Cajun seasoning and oregano.  I don’t have Cajun seasoning, but I do have a Jamaican seasoning mix from Pampered Chef, so that’s what I used.  I was glad to finally have a recipe to use it in!

5.     Add sausage and shrimp, cook for 2 minutes.

6.     Add tomatoes and bay leaves, simmer about 3 minutes.

That’s it!  Serve the Jambalaya over rice and you’re done.  I received so many rave reviews from my family and friends about this recipe that I will definitely be adding it to my regular repertoire.  Most of the ingredients are things I tend to have around the house anyway – except the shrimp.  I’ll just have to remember to add it to my regular grocery list occasionally so that I can whip up this meal whenever I want.

For those who want the cost breakdown, here you go.  I’m using Amazon Fresh right now (because getting to the grocery store is ridiculously hard with a newborn), so the prices are probably a little higher than what I would pay at Ralphs.

1 cup rice	$0.30
2 tsp olive oil	$0.05
1/2 cup chopped onion	$0.30
1 green pepper, chopped	$1.00
2 cloves garlic, minced	$0.10
1 can mild diced chile peppers	$1.00
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts)	$3.00
1 tsp Cajun seasoning	$0.05
1 tsp dried oregano	$0.05
1 kielbasa type sausage	$3.40
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peled and deveined	$5.00
28 oz can diced tomatoes	$1.50
2 bay leaves	$0.05
	$15.80
6 servings:	$2.63/serving

If you are interested in buying the cookbook I used, here is the Amazon affiliate link: