Cajun Turkey Jambalaya

I’ve been praying for nice weather for the past 6 months and it has finally arrived here in Wisconsin! I spent the entire holiday weekend in my backyard either working or enjoying the sunshine. And while my grill has been fired up nonstop for the past couple of weeks, I’m still all about a good comfort meal during the week. This Cajun Turkey Jambalaya is my new go-to weekday meal for a one-pot dish that makes a super tiny mess.

I’m all about a little spice in my meals and my husband likes to steer clear of anything that will set his mouth on fire. I love that you can adjust the heat in this dish easily by adding more or less cayenne. Of course I add a little sprinkle to the top of mine for more heat! To keep the fat content of this dish down, and not jeopardize any of the flavor, I used Jennie-O’s Hickory Smoked Cajun Style Turkey Breast as one of the ingredients. I found it in the deli section of my local grocery store and decided that it would be great for protein and flavor in this dish.

To make this dish even easier to prepare I also used precooked andouille sausage to cut down on the cook-time. This one-pot wonder can be pulled together when you get home from work and in the time it takes for your kids to finish their homework you’ll be enjoying a family meal. There is nothing easier than that! It makes for really great leftovers too!

If you’re still scratching your head for an idea for dinner tonight, give this Cajun Turkey Jambalaya a try. Even the pickiest of eaters will love the flavor and kick!

Cajun Turkey Jambalaya

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: April | Food n' Focus

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp oil divided
• 1.5 lbs Jennie-O Hickory Smoked Cajun Style Turkey Breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 12 oz precooked andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
• ¾ teaspoons pepper divided
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
• 1 teaspoon basil, dried
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 ½ cups long grain white rice, rinsed and drained
• 4 ½ - 5 cups chicken broth
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a large pot, or Dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon oil, sausage, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside.
2. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil into the pot and then add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables are almost tender. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Place sausage back into the pot along with the cubed turkey.
4. In a small bowl combine remaining 1 teaspoon salt, ½ tsp pepper, thyme, basil and cayenne pepper and toss to combine.
5. Add seasoning mix, Worcestershire, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes to the meat and veggies. Stir to combine.
6. Next, place rice and 4 ½ cup broth in the pot. Stir to completely combine. Over medium heat, wait for the ingredients to come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let jambalaya simmer for 25-35 minutes.
7. Check on the jambalaya at 25 minutes and see if it needs additional liquid. If you have a pot that burns, this would be a good time to give the bottom of your pot a stir to loosen up any potentially dried rice.
8. Once rice is completely cooked, serve immediately with fresh parsley.

3.4.3177