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Vegetarian Jambalaya

Posted by iavogoodmeal on

We are huge fans for one pot rice dinners – asian fried rice and Indian pulao are staples in our household. We decided recently to try our hand at vegetarian jambalaya! We’ve eaten it once or twice but its definitely difficult to find a version without meat (no hating on the meat lovers out there!) – so it was a fun challenge to try and recreate the flavors at home! 

Traditional jambalaya has andouille sausage and to simulate the “meaty” texture we used sliced Tofurkey Brauts – so delish and a great source of protein to amp up your meals! Add in veggies of choice and a liberal dose of garlic, cajun seasoning, chili powder and paprika and you have the most dreamy one pot dish! The leftovers just keep getting better as the flavors soak in, we made enough for two more meals for the rest of the week!  You won’t even miss the meat with our version of jambalaya! 

Tips & Tricks

  • Traditional jambalaya does have sliced okra, if you are going to use it – pan fry it separately in oil for about 5-10 min to get rid of the slimy texture, especially with frozen okra that tends to leech liquid more
  • If you are not a fan of plant based protein like Tofurkey, you can add a can of black beans to have some more substance and still keep a little protein kick! 
  • Feel free to sub water with vegetable broth if you have it on hand – it’ll give an even more enhanced flavor to the dish! 

Recipe Information

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 entrée servings

Ingredients

  • 1 white onion diced 
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed 
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
  • 4 Tofurkey brauts
  • 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning 
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1-2 tsp chili powder based on level of heat desired
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • Salt/Pepper to taste
  • 1.5 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup water

Directions

  1. In a few tsp of olive oil, sauté onions garlic and pepper until soft ~5-7 minutes
  2. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato paste and spices and let simmer on medium heat for ~10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse
  3. In a separate pan, cook the tofurkey brauts and slice into medallions
  4. Add mixed veggies and water to tomato/pepper mixture and cook covered for an additional 10 minutes until veggies are fully cooked
  5. Once mixture is thickened, add cooked rice and tofurkey and mix till combine
  6. Cook for an additional ~5 min on medium low heat – serve hot!