Jambalaya with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage

Whenever I am in the mood for a spicy and flavorful dinner, I make jambalaya.  I have been making this Cooking Light recipe for years, and it’s no surprise that it has a 5 star rating on www.cookinglight.com, because it really is that good!  It’s full of shrimp, spicy andouille sausage, peppers, onions, and garlic, all of which give it tons of flavor.  The recipe calls for half a teaspoon of hot pepper sauce, but I usually omit it to cut back on the spiciness.  I think the andouille sausage provides plenty of spice, but if you like really spicy food, you should definitely add the hot pepper sauce.  And like some of my other favorite Cooking Light recipes (such as this, this, this or this one), it is pretty healthy — each (1.5 cup) serving has only 426 calories!  I hope you enjoy!

Recipe from: Cooking Light Magazine , April 2005 issue

(print recipe)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 6  ounces  andouille sausage, sliced
• 1  cup  uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1  teaspoon  paprika
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• ½  teaspoon  onion powder
• ½ teaspoon  dried thyme
• ¼  teaspoon  garlic salt
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• ¾  cup  water
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• ½  teaspoon  hot pepper sauce, optional
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½  pound  peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, minced garlic, and sausage; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Add rice and the next 7 ingredients (through bay leaf); cook 2 minutes.  Add broth, water, tomato paste, hot pepper sauce (if using), and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Add shrimp; cook 5 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Discard bay leaf.  Stir in parsley.

Yield: 4 (1.5 cup) servings

Before you start cooking the jambalaya, it’s very helpful to measure out all of the spices and combine them in a small prep bowl. That way, when it’s time to add the spices to the pot, you can just throw them all in at once.

I also recommend preparing all of the ingredients before you start cooking. First, gather all of the pantry items (chicken broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes). Then chop the onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley, and sausage. After that, measure the correct amount of rice. (You can prep and peel the shrimp while the jambalaya is simmering).

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