Weeknight Brown Rice Jambalaya with Andouille and Ham

Jambalaya is one of the best comfort meals, but it always seems like just too much work for a weeknight meal. That's where this Weeknight Brown Rice Jambalaya comes in!

By par-cooking the rice before we add it into the big pot of goodness, we cut the cooking time down by a couple hours.

I highly suggest using andouille links (which is how you'll usually find it!). Andouille is typically a spicy smoked pork sausage that's associated with Cajun cooking. This is because it's packed with all the Creole flavors of paprika, thyme, peppers and onions ground right in. Each bite of andouille is a pop of major Cajun flavor 😉

In testing, I used a pound of ground andouille that we received as a surprise in our meat share last month and it worked totally fine... but I always enjoy when the linked sausage is diced so that every few bites lead to big bites of andouille goodness.

But ya know what?! It really doesn't matter one way or the other. This Weeknight Brown Rice Jambalaya is TOO GOOD to do anything but inhale, no matter what the details are.

For the ham, I highly suggest using leftovers from a cooked ham. But diced a couple ham steaks are 100% fabulous as well. We love having leftover ham, so we'll bake up a big one a couple times a year (outside of the holidays!), then freeze and package up the leftovers into usable amounts for dishes like this jambalaya, for Climbing Grier Mountain's Monte Cristo Lasagna, or for just about any weekend breakfast!

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Quick Brown Rice Jambalaya

A fully flavored jambalaya in only an hour? Yes please! With par-cooked rice, this dish comes together quickly while maintaining that deeply delicious, spicy, meaty version you know and love!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 oz andouille sausage sliced into half moons
• 1/2 lb ham steak diced
• 2 bell peppers of any color diced
• 2 medium onions diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 1 jalapeno diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil, add in the rice and let cook for 20 minutes.
  
• In the meantime, heat a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then the sausage. Let cook for 5 minutes, then add the diced ham. Let cook for another 5 minutes.
  
• Stir in the peppers, onions, celery, jalapeno and garlic and cook for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add in the paprika, chili powder, thyme, rosemary, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper.
  
• Pour in the tomatoes, broth and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then add in the par-cooked rice. Stir together well, then put top on tight and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 35 minutes, then remove the top and cook for another 5.