Skinny Gumbo Jambalaya

Shout out to my friend and neighbor, Holly, who had us over for dinner one night and made gumbo. I told her I had never had it before, to which she said, “and you’re a food blogger?”. Ummmm, yep. #challengeaccepted Ha! Consequently, I created this recipe the next week and I am so glad I did! We have thoroughly enjoyed eating this skinny gumbo-jambalaya meal for months now!

No matter what you call this one-pot meal it’s DELICIOUS!

Is it jambalaya? Is it gumbo? What’s the difference between gumbo and jambalaya?

I have no clue. It’s my creation and it’s a little bit of both so One-Pot Skinny Gumbolaya it is!

According to Angelina’s Louisiana Kitchen,

“Gumbo is a stew or soup that is traditional in Louisiana – it is almost always made with a roux to thicken. Ours is a bit different in that it uses a roux and file to thicken. In Louisiana every family has their own unique gumbo recipe. Jambalaya on the other hand is a rice based dish which is usually made in one pot. Typically there are two types of jambalaya – a Creole jambalaya (also called a ‘red jambalaya’ due to the tomatoes) and a Cajun jambalaya which contains no tomatoes and typically is a brown color due to the meat used.”

The first time I made this gluten free gumbo jambalaya recipe, I served it to our realtor at our new house for lunch. Needless to say,  Sheila knows Creole cooking. Her son lives in New Orleans and she enjoys their authentic cuisine when she visits.

As she was eating, I was making all sorts of excuses as to why this recipe probably wasn’t that tasty and I needed to keep tweeking it. Blah blah blah.

Gumbo Jambalaya Recipe Ingredients:

1 onion

2 bell peppers

5 celery stalks

2 Tbsp butter or dairy free plant based butter 

2 large bay leaves

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

12 oz chicken smoked andouille sausage

1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup long grain white rice

12 oz frozen shrimp, raw, peeled, deveined, tail off

She abruptly, yet kindly stopped me, and said this was just as flavorful, delightful, and appetizing as the meals she has down south. I even gave her some to take home because she went on and on about how amazing this dairy free skinny gumbo jambalaya was!

So I am taking her compliments and running with it! 

Even though the flavors are plentiful and a little spicy, the kids love it just as much as Ryan and I do. Here’s the neat thing, there are only 2 spices added to this dish: cajun seasoning and garlic powder. No salt, no pepper, nothing else! See, easy peasy?

Without further adieu, here is the recipe for my version of a skinny gumbo jambalaya!