This recipe is one that I found in a family cookbook when we were newlyweds. It has been a staple ever since. This recipe is quick, cheap, easy, and only uses one pan to make it.
When I hear the word Jambalaya, I think of something spicy and foreign.
Now, this is NOT a true Jambalaya, but I would call it the poor man’s recipe because I think it’s one of those recipes that was born out of necessity in a family with 8 children. My father in Law’s. His mom made this all the time.
This one pan jambalaya is an easy staple meal you can make when you’re short on time and don’t know what to make for dinner.
On nights when you forgot to make dinner until 5:30 (which is just about every night for me) then this recipe is one that you can pull out and throw together quickly. It has simple ingredients like rice, canned tomato soup, and ground beef or turkey. Seriously so easy.
But, if you’re wanting a really spice jambalaya – this recipe is NOT it.
What is jambalaya anyway?
Traditional jambalaya is a popular Creole and Cajun dish from the south – specifically Louisiana. It is usually a one-pot dish that typically consists of rice cooked with a variety of ingredients, including meats, vegetables, and seasonings. The exact ingredients and preparation methods can vary, but the key components of jambalaya often include a meat (like chicken, shrimp, or sausage), veggies like onions and bell peppers, seasonings like cajun or creole blends are usually used to give it some heat. And of course – rice!
There are two main types of jambalaya: Creole and Cajun. Creole includes tomatoes and is more common to New Orleans and one doesn’t include tomatoes and is more traditionally cajun.
I guess that’s the cool thing about Jambalaya is that you can really customize it to be whatever YOU want. My recipe for jambalaya is mild, but I think it’s the perfect base recipe to add whatever you want to it to make it yours and more special.
Easy One Pan Jambalaya
Ingredients for One pan Jambalaya
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup onion
1/3 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
3/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
2/3 cup uncooked rice
Directions for One Pan Jambalaya
Brown your ground beef or turkey. Drain any excess fat. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover with tight lid. When steam starts to escape, turn down heat and simmer for 35 minutes. That’s it! SUPER simple.
One Pan Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/3 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 can water
- 2/3 cup uncooked rice
Instructions
Brown your ground beef or turkey. Drain any excess fat. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover with tight lid. When steam starts to escape, turn down heat and simmer for 35 minutes.
As someone who despises doing the dishes, this recipe is right up my alley! Love that I’ll only make one pan dirty.
I’d remove the bell peppers because I can’t eat them, but I would add my son’s favorite veggie mix and we all would be happy with it!
I made this tonight; it was delicious…everyone loved it! Thank you….the only thing I changed was I did ground pork and it was awesome.
Awesome! It’s so easy huh?
Thanks a lot! That seemed to be great and so easy to make.