Jambalaya in progress

Ingredients

  • 1 pound smoked sausage (I use beef, but pork is good too)
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 white onion
  • (optional) a few stalks of celery
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (I use the pre-minced stuff in a jar, because I am lazy)
  • 3/4 cup white rice
  • 14 oz. tomato sauce
  • 11 oz. chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Dice the bell pepper, chop up the onion and celery, slice up the sausage. Start cooking the sausage over medium-high heat in a largish skillet until it begins to render its fat, then add the bell pepper, onion and celery.

  2. Cook the above until the onion turns clear, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add the garlic, cook for another minute.

  4. Turn the heat down to medium low and drain the fat, if you wish. (I usually don’t bother when cooking with beef sausage.) Stir in the rice, coating the sausage and veggies with it.

  5. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, and simmer covered for 20 or sominutes, or until the rice has cooked fully. Stir it every few minutes; the bottom layer likes to stick to the pan.

  6. Fish out the bay leaf (you don’t want to bite into it by mistake), and serve!

When I make this for myself, I usually pig out on it for dinner and have enough left over for two lunches afterward. It still tastes great after reheating in a microwave.