Try this Jambalaya Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups water
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 12 oz gluten-free andouille sausage (use kielbasa if sen ) chopped
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour (soup will
- 32 oz gluten-free chicken broth
- Carbohydrate 17.3783048458677 g
- Cholesterol 9.52 mg
- Fat 6.7291553553829 g
- Fiber 2.61409356598176 g
- Protein 4.35676541971938 g
- Saturated Fat 2.18086019517628 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (391g)
- Sodium 268.41316296805 mg
- Sugar 14.7642112798859 g
- Trans Fat 0.804263222726481 g
- Calories 142 calories
Step-by-step
- Add bacon to a large, 6-quart Dutch Oven or heavy soup pot then place on the stove and turn heat to medium. Cook until bacon is crisp then remove bacon to a plate and set aside, reserving bacon fat in the pot. If necessary, add enough extra virgin olive oil to total 2 Tablespoons fat in the pot.
- Turn heat up to medium-high then add sausage and chicken, season with salt and pepper, then saute until chicken begins to turn opaque, 2 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, season with Cajun seasoning, then saute until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes, turning heat up if necessary to keep ingredients sizzling. Add garlic then saute for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle flour over the meat and vegetables then stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth a splash at a time while stirring to create a smooth sauce, then add crushed tomatoes, water, and bay leaves. Turn heat up to high to bring liquid to a boil then add rice and stir well. Turn heat down to medium-low then cover and simmer until rice is al dente, 15-18 minutes, stirring often. When rice has a couple minutes left until it's tender, remove the pot from the heat then let sit with the lid on for 2-3 minutes to let the rice finish cooking from the heat of the pot. Remove the lid then stir in the bacon and let soup sit and thicken for 10 minutes before ladling into bowls and serving.
Swapping standard pork andouille for beef kielbasa introduces a milder smoke profile that fundamentally shifts how the final broth balances against the crushed tomatoes. Fresh produce markets dictate the baseline weight of your bell peppers and onions, but retaining the rendered bacon fat in a six-quart Dutch oven provides the crucial medium needed to properly brown both chicken and sausage pieces. Fat acts as a thermal conductor, ensuring the proteins develop deep surface color without scorching their interiors during the initial high-heat sear.
Adding the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper directly into the remaining animal fats allows the dehydrated cellular walls of those vegetables to soften quickly within five minutes. Dusting flour directly over this browned mixture creates a roux base; cooking that flour for two full minutes eliminates any raw starch taste before cold liquids enter the pot. Pouring chicken broth in slowly prevents lumps from forming, allowing the starches to suspend evenly in the liquid matrix.
Stirring long-grain white rice straight into the boiling tomato broth subjects the grains to heavy acidity, which toughens the exterior starch molecules and keeps the kernels distinct rather than mushy. Covering the pot and simmering on medium-low for fifteen to eighteen minutes traps steam to cook the interior of the rice evenly. Removing the pot from heat just before the rice is fully tender prevents overcooking, utilizing residual heat during a three-minute resting window.
Allowing the finished soup to sit uncovered for ten minutes before serving gives suspended starches time to cool slightly and thicken the body of the liquid. Reintroducing the crisp bacon at this final stage preserves its textural crunch against the softened vegetables and tender poultry. Maintaining this specific sequence of fat rendering, meat searing, and starch hydration guarantees a cohesive bowl without relying on pre-cooked components.
