Easy Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya

I’m busier now than I’ve ever been. Consequently, one of the greatest challenges I face in day-to-day life is getting nutritious and tasty food on the table for dinner each night. Once dinnertime rolls around, I’m tired and I often have a number of things I still need to accomplish. Easy-to-prepare dinners, such as this Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya, help minimize the load a little bit.

Ingredients

(Adapted from this recipe.)

• 2 ¼ cups water
• 1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 12 oz. smoked andouille sausage, cut into bite-sized rounds
• 2 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of celery soup (not diluted)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ cup finely diced celery
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Several dashes salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients, then pour into the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil; bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir well. Replace the foil and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Notes

This dish is a breeze to prepare! You don’t have to stand over the stove while it cooks, nor do you have to manage the preparation of multiple dinner components at the same time. Once you’ve eaten, cleanup is easy because you don’t have a bunch of pots, pans, and other dishes to wash!

The andouille sausage, vegetables, and seasonings used in this dish give it a robust savory flavor. It is mildly spicy, but certainly not hot. Feel free to use greater amounts of the seasonings if you like your dishes to be spicy. Likewise, you can customize the flavor of the dish by adding other meats (ham, shrimp, etc.) or preparing a meatless variety.

Have you made any easy-to-prepare dishes lately? If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, and Weekend Potluck.