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This Jambalaya recipe is a shortcut version of the Creole classic that’s made in the crockpot! With just 5 minutes of prep, you’re going to find yourself making this delicious version of Jambalaya week after week!

Ok, before people skewer me for calling this Jambalaya when it’s not made in the traditional way, let me explain. I love a good ol’ Creole Jambalaya, but sometimes I literally have 5-10 minutes to prep dinner and I need to go for quick and easy short cut versions of classic dishes.

I love the ease of this Slow Cooker jambalaya recipe and it tastes amazing! It doesn’t exactly have the same roasted and toasted flavor of real-deal jambalaya, instead, it’s more of a fresh, vibrant-tasting dish. Just give it a try. It’s one of my favorite quick-prep dinners!

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a one-pot Creole dish made with “the trinity” (celery, bell peppers, and onions), meat (usually chicken, smoked sausage, and/or shrimp), and tomatoes.

What is in a Jambalaya?

Here are the basics:

• celery
• bell peppers
• onions
• smoked andouille sausage
• chicken (sometimes)
• shrimp (sometimes)
• kidney beans (sometimes)
• garlic
• tomatoes
• salt, pepper, and other seasonings
• rice

How do you make Jambalaya?

Real-deal Jambalaya is made in one pot where the veggies and meat are sautéed first followed by a nice simmer in a red broth made with tomatoes and spices and then served over rice.

I love a good one pot meal, but for my Jambalaya I decided to simplify things even more by cooking mine in the crockpot!

What is the difference between Jambalaya and Gumbo?

Jambalaya is a one-pot rice-based dish with a thick red sauce due to the tomatoes in the dish. Gumbo is more of a soup or stew with a roux base.

What do you eat with Jambalaya?

The obvious answer is rice! I like to serve either short grain rice or brown rice with this dish. I usually opt for brown rice because I like the somewhat nutty flavor that it adds.

Another thing I love to eat with this is cornbread! My Sour Cream Cornbread recipe goes nicely with this dish.

Cook’s Note:

FREEZER MEAL ALERT!

• You can make this Crockpot Jambalaya into a freezer meal by placing all of the ingredients (minus the rice and garnishes) in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, and freeze it until you’re ready to use it. When cooking it from the frozen state you’ll have to increase the cooking time slightly. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours and LOW for 5 hours.

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Cook’s Tools:

• The star of this dish is definitely the slow cooker! This is the one that I have and love!

More Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes:

Let’s face it, slow cooker recipes are just easier! Some of my favorite crockpot dinners include my Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers which is great served on toasted subs or over pasta. Another favorite is Slow Cooker Chicken Curry because it’s so flavorful and it will warm up even the coldest of winter nights. Finally, this Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings recipe is just about as close to comfort food as you can get!