I LOVE Jambalaya! I figured out a fun way to make a vegan version with an Italian twist that includes chicken and sausage. Oh yes!
When I was cooking, my dad had no idea that I was using plant-based meats because the meats look so real as you can see in the photo. For the vegan chicken, I used Beyond Meat’s Grilled Chicken-free Strips, and for the vegan sausage, I used Field Roast’s Italian sausage links.
I sampled some of the Field Roast sausage at Whole Foods, and I couldn’t believe it was vegan. When this sausage is pan-fried just a little, it has the taste and texture of animal meat sausage. It’s quite amazing how much better these plant-based meats are getting.
I didn’t make the Jambalaya from scratch because you know I’m all about assembly style cooking. This vegan Jambalaya was pretty fast and easy to make because I used some canned and packaged goods. It took me only about 30 minutes. I used Simply Organic Jambalaya Seasoning Mix, and used as many organic ingredients as I could.
For a health twist on my Jambalaya, instead of using white rice, I used brown Jasmine rice. I like longer grain rice and using brown rice gives you more fiber and will not spike blood sugar levels like white rice does.
Ingredients (serves 4-5):
- 1 cup of Beyond Meat Grilled Chicken
- 2 Field Roast Italian sausage links sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1 can organic cannellini beans (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)
- 1 can organic Italian seasoned chopped tomatoes (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)
- ½ organic red onion chopped
- 1 small organic orange bell pepper chopped
- 1 packet of Organic Jambalaya packet mix
- 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
Heat a large sauce pan with the olive oil on medium heat. Fry the sliced Field Roast sausage until slightly brown on both sides.
Toss in the onion, bell pepper, and Beyond Meat chicken, and stir-fry until the onion and pepper get soft.
In a small bowl, mix the Jambalaya Seasoning mix with water and set aside for a moment.
Pour the rice into the pan and mix well with the chicken, sausage, onion, and pepper. Pour in the Jambalaya mix and mix well with the other ingredients.
Fold in the chopped tomatoes and cannelloni beans, and mix well. Cover the pan and let the Jambalaya simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Take the pan off the burner and let the Jambalaya sit for about 15-20 minute to cool down. For garnish on my dish, I cut up some red jalapenos and chopped some green onion.
Enjoy!
