Cajun Hambalaya

April 5, 2015 By in Cajun, Celery, Cooking Method, Course, Cuisine, Fish and Seafood, Grains, Ham, Main Dish, Main Ingredients, Meats, Onions, Oven Baked, Peppers or Chillies, Pork, Rice, Sausage, Shellfish, Shrimp, Southern, Stovetop, Tomatoes, United States Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 23 Comments

Cajun Hambalaya utilizes my favorite jambalaya recipe as a tasty way to use up some ham leftovers as one of the meats.
Cajun Hambalaya for #SundaySupper

Cajun Hambalaya

by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

One of my favorite Cajun recipes is jambalaya, delicious rice imbued with the flavors of the Cajun trinity (green peppers, celery and onion) which is a sort of American cousin to the French mirepoix which consists of carrot, celery and onion. Along with the vegetables are tomatoes and a few spices and meats of choice, My favorite meats are gulf shrimp, andouille smoked sausage and chicken. But these flavors can be change around to suit your own needs.

Jambalaya ingredients
Jambalaya Ingredients

Jambalaya Meats
Jambalaya Meats

Vegetable Saute
Vegetable Saute
Often jambalaya is served as a sauce that is served alongside the rice, but I tend to like rice casseroles where everything is baked together, such as paella or arroz con pollo for example. Maybe it’s because some of my other favorite Cajun recipes, gumbo and shrimp Creole, I serve the rice next to the sauce or as a base and just like it a little different. When you do bake it all together as a casserole, the flavors meld and make it even more tasty in my opinion.

Meats added to pan
Meats added

Deglazing the pan
Deglazing the pan

Mixing ingredients in the casserole dish
Mixing ingredients in casserole
I made this particular recipe for the Sunday Supper Movement for an event for Easter leftovers. I often have lots of ham after I bake one, since it is mostly just Bill and I at home (we are empty nesters) although occasionally a ham is all used. And while ham sandwiches are always appreciated, either as slices or in ham salad, and breakfasts absorb many leftovers of ham in ham and cheese omelets, having a variety of ways to use the extra ham up is always a plus.

Jambalaya ready to bake
Jambalaya ready to bake

Shrimp, scallions and parsley set aside
Shrimp, scallions and parsley set aside

Stirring in final ingredients
Stirring in final ingredients

Cajun Hambalaya

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

Cajun Hambalaya for #SundaySupper
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 8 ounces cubed ham
  • 6 ounces Andouille smoked sausage, sliced
  • 2 fluid ounces dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
  • 14.5 ounces can diced tomatoes (including liquid)
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  • 8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Stir together thyme, marjoram, paprika, salt, red pepper, and black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Lightly oil a lasagna baking dish or 9×13 oven-safe casserole dish with olive oil or use nonstick cooking spray, whichever you prefer.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet and add celery, onion, bell pepper, and bay leaves and saute for 5 minutes or so or until the onion becomes soft.
  5. Stir in the garlic, ham and sausage, and cook 1-2 minutes more or until sausage is lightly browned.
  6. Remove pan from heat and add wine to deglaze the pan, then return to heat and cook until the wine has evaporated.
  7. Place cooked vegetables, uncooked rice, diced tomatoes with liquid, vegetable stock, bay leaves, and spice mix into the casserole, stirring to mix.
  8. Cover pan tightly with foil or an appropriate lid and bake for 1 hour.
  9. Uncover pan and stir in the scallions, shrimp and parsley.
  10. Recover pan with foil or lid and bake 10-15 minutes more or until shrimp are pink and curled and rice is tender.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com


Cajun Hambalaya

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Sunday Supper Movement

Spring Holiday Leftovers!

Celebrating recipes that repurpose food used in celebratory Spring holiday dinners, such as Easter or Passover.

As part of the Sunday Supper Movement, I and a host of other food bloggers are pleased to present to you some of our favorite holiday leftover recipes to enjoy and prepare for you and your families and friends while being frugal and wasting less foods.

Special thanks to Liz Berg of That Skinny Chick Can Bake! and Stacy, of Food Lust People Love for graciously hosting this event and working so hard to make sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed. It’s a big group and a ton of work to keep all together! Thanks so much.

And now on to the recipes! Check out as many recipes as you would like and be sure to pin those to have for later.
Appetizers

Breakfast and Brunch

Main Dishes

Soups and Salads

Desserts

 

23 responses

  6. Thank you for this recipe, Sue. I’m prepping for a visit to my step-mom and 92 year old dad. They love casseroles and I’m quite certain your recipe will be no exception =)

    Reply

  9. We love jambalaya, but I’ve never thought about making it home before! I love how easy this is to customize. Thanks for sharing – – we will definitely be bookmarking this one!

    Reply

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