Healthy Jambalaya Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is jambalaya healthy? ›

It's packed with protein in the shrimp, chicken and sausage. Brown rice is your healthy source for carbohydrates. Obviously this is a meal for later on in your bariatric surgery recovery when you are comfortable eating different things all in the same meal.

Jambalaya With Meat And Rice, Chicken And Sausage Jambalaya (1 cup) contains 22.7g total carbs, 21.4g net carbs, 21.2g fat, 26.1g protein, and 393 calories.

The richness of the stock, the slow build of Creole spices, and the way the meat is cooked — in this case, caramelizing the sausage, which coaxes out more flavor and adds that appealing browned finish — also contribute to the deep, complex layers of this dish.

Gumbo is really a soup or stew that's often served over a little rice, while jambalaya is made with the rice cooked into the dish, making the grain an integral part of it. In gumbo, there should be more liquid than rice, while jambalaya should not be liquid-y or mushy. "Jambalaya is a way to cook rice.

The "holy trinity" in Cajun cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine is the base for several dishes in the regional cuisines of Louisiana and consists of onions, bell peppers and celery. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.

There are two types of jambalaya: Cajun and Creole. Cajun jambalaya originates from the bayous of Louisiana, featuring andouille sausage and various veggies. Creole jambalaya incorporates tomatoes and shrimp, using influences from Spain, France, and African locals.

Dirty Rice, Cajun Rice (1 cup) contains 38g total carbs, 37.4g net carbs, 9.7g fat, 11.2g protein, and 291 calories.

Jambalaya with meat and rice contains 5.4 g of saturated fat and 142 mg of cholesterol per serving.

One of the biggest complaints when making jambalaya is that the rice ends up mushy. And there's two main culprits of this – choosing the wrong type of rice and over-stirring. For this recipe, you want long-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine. Don't use short-grain rice.

What is the difference between Cajun and Creole jambalaya recipe? ›

Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes—possibly a sub for paella's saffron (a once out-of-reach ingredient for southern Louisianans). Cajun jambalaya, found more frequently further outside of New Orleans, omits tomatoes, yielding distinctly cooked grains, garnished with chicken, sausage, and later, spring onions.

A cajun jambalaya, I'm reliably informed, should be somewhat dry, even slightly browned on the bottom, which rules out the soupier, wetter texture of those creole versions using tomatoes (Oliver advises cooks to aim for a “porridgey” consistency).

Most jambalaya recipes don't call for thickeners like roux or okra, though some people use cornstarch as a thickener if the dish needs it.

Additional flavor comes from diced onion, celery and bell pepper, the mixture known as the “holy trinity,” a New Orleans Creole evolution of the French mirepoix. Cayenne pepper provides a touch of heat.

Jambalaya is both a culinary staple and a storied dish in New Orleans. The dish has been a part of New Orleans cuisine since Colonial Spanish settlers tried reconstructing their native paella from locally-sourced ingredients. Today, the dish is comprised of a mix of chicken, seafood, sausage–or all three!

It is thought that jambalaya is descended from the Spanish dish paella, which was brought by Spanish immigrants to New Orleans. Jambalaya features ingredients that are readily available in Louisiana and pull from the state's cultural influences — namely African, French and Caribbean.

Even though Jambalaya is very similar to a Paella and includes pretty much the same list of main ingredients, the spices and seasonings change. Saffron is the main spice component in Paella, and Paella is milder than Jambalaya in the heat department.

Jambalaya with meat and rice contains 5.4 g of saturated fat and 142 mg of cholesterol per serving. 244 g of Jambalaya with meat and rice contains 19.52 mcg vitamin A, 15.6 mg vitamin C, 0.49 mcg vitamin D as well as 2.73 mg of iron, 58.56 mg of calcium, 588 mg of potassium.