The Best Jambalaya I’ve Ever Had (Jambalaya My Way)

This is the best jambalaya I’ve ever had — and I make it at home.

This New Orleans–style red jambalaya leans on good andouille sausage, quality canned tomatoes, shrimp, and a long-grain rice that holds its texture. It’s rich, comforting, and even better the next day.

Below is how to make jambalaya my way, plus a few key tips that make a real difference.

Jambalaya Ingredients

(Serves 4–6)

• 6 tablespoons butter

• ½ cup chopped green onion (white and green parts)

• ½ cup chopped yellow onion

• 1 large bell pepper, chopped

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 1 garlic clove, minced

  • I use about 1 tablespoon; the original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, which is nothing in my book

• 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

• 1 pound andouille sausage

  • Use a good brand like Comeaux if you can

• 1 (16-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  • Buy the good stuff here — it’s an easy upgrade

• 1 cup chicken broth (homemade preferred)

• Salt, to taste

• Cayenne pepper, to taste (don’t be weak in the knees)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 cup long-grain rice (I use basmati)

• Hot sauce, for serving (I’m a Tabasco man)

How to Make Jambalaya (Step-by-Step)

1. Melt the butter
   Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot (an enameled Dutch oven is ideal) over medium heat.

2. Cook the vegetables
   Add the yellow onion, green onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring often.

   • Tip: Add the garlic later if you’re worried about burning it.

3. Brown the andouille sausage
   Add the andouille sausage and cook until it turns from pale pink to deep red with light browning. This step builds flavor.

4. Add the shrimp
   Add the shrimp and cook just until they start to curl and turn pink. Shrimp cook fast — don’t overdo it.

5. Add tomatoes and broth
   Stir in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Season with salt, cayenne, and bay leaves.

6. Add rice and simmer
   Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

   • Check at 20 minutes to avoid overcooking.

Key Jambalaya Tips That Matter

Buy Good Andouille and Tomatoes

You’ll pay for quality andouille — especially outside Louisiana — but it matters. The sausage carries the dish.
Same goes for canned tomatoes: splurge here.

Recommended:

• Comeaux Andouille

• Carmelina Crushed Tomatoes

Sausage before shrimp

Shrimp take almost no time to cook. Add the sausage first to develop flavor.

If you want extra shrimp flavor, make a quick stock from the shrimp shells and use that instead of chicken broth.

Rice matters

Firm long-grain rice is the right choice for jambalaya. Basmati works beautifully.

One of my favorite Cajun/Creole restaurants uses basmati in their gumbo, and I follow their lead.

Always rinse your rice until the water runs clear.

Why you should make jambalaya at home

This jambalaya tastes even better after it cools — and it’s fantastic the next day.

It also makes one hell of a side dish with fried chicken.

If you love jambalaya, don’t overthink it. Make it at home. And don’t sleep on using good andouille — it’s the difference between “pretty good” and unforgettable. P.S. here is a link to the cookbook where I got the recipe: Cooking up a Storm

More on This Dish

I wax poetic about this jambalaya — and why it means something to me — on my World’s Greatest Dad Substack:

👉 What’s Dad Cooking? Jambalaya My Way
https://worldsgreatestdad.substack.com/p/whats-dad-cooking-jambalaya-my-way