Jambalaya stuffed peppers is a fusion fling between Creole and Cajun cuisine resulting in an assortment of colorful bell peppers packed with comfort goodness. These heavenly-baked chunks are eye-pleasing and mouth-watery appetizing as soon as they come out of the oven.
Red, Yellow, Orange, Green? Doesn’t matter, unless you want to have a beautiful presentation. Just grab these bad boys and get creative, each baseball size pepper is packed with good flavor only meant to be served to royals.
New Orleans and Louisiana based southern comfort food is a mixture of Creole and Cajun fusion with a hint of Mexican, Eastern European and Middle East cuisines of stuffing rice and meats into peppers. This Mardi Gras food is perfect for a family meal, holiday lunch or when inviting guests over for dinner.
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How do we bring this dish together?
The Jambalaya filling is the key to preparing this dish right. If you nail the stuffing you are 90% good. The savory Creole Jambalaya is simple to make as it is a one pot meal. Try balancing out the flavors between the chicken broth and your homemade Cajun seasoning spice blend. Tomatoes or no tomatoes, it doesn’t matter. I added crushed tomatoes for that Creole influence and to achieve a saucy texture.
Although Jambalaya is traditionally made with the Holy Trinity (Onions, Bell peppers and Celery), we choose to leave out some ingredients to keep it simple. We went with smoked sausage instead of Andouille sausage as it is much easier to find. Nothing can go wrong with sausage and seafood as it gives a balance between smoky and spicy flavor.
Choosing a variety of colorful bell peppers can visually elevate the dish. The sweetness from the bell peppers balances out the spicy Jambalaya. You can smell the aroma of the baked stuffed peppers as soon as you open that oven door. Few bits of charred rice oozing out of the bell peppers just makes you want to grab a fork and dig in. The technique of stuffing the bell peppers intensifies the Jambalaya rice giving it a whole new concept of creative cooking.
Ingredients
Herbs and Spices: cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, cilantro
Liquids: chicken broth, olive oil
Regular ingredients: smoked sausage, white rice, shrimp, crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic
Specialty ingredients: colorful bell peppers
See recipe card for quantities.
Walk through the Recipe
Let’s begin preparing our Jambalaya stuffed peppers.
We start by cutting the tops off the bell peppers and get rid of the seeds and membranes. Do not discard the tops as we will use it to cover our Jambalaya rice. Brush the peppers with olive oil.
Next, we coat the shrimps with Cajun seasoning, and wash the rice to get rid of the starch and set aside.
In a pot, we fry our sliced smoked sausages in olive oil. Once cooked, we set it aside and leave that oil in the same pot.
In the same oil, we fry the shrimps evenly on both sides for a minute or two and place it aside once cooked.
It’s time to prepare the rice, add olive oil and sauté garlic and onions in the same pot. We then add crushed tomatoes and cajun seasoning.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, we add rice, chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste. Let the rice cook further and reduce to low heat.
As soon as the rice is cooked, we turn off the heat, add the cooked shrimp and sausage, and give it a quick mix to form the rice stuffing.
We have reached the final stage of bringing all the ingredients together. Stuff the bell peppers with the Jambalaya rice filling and cover it with the tops of the bell peppers. Place them in a baking dish and bake for around 25 minutes in the oven.
Our Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers are now ready. We garnish the rice with chopped cilantro and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Substitutions
You can replace some of the ingredients in the recipe to suit what you have at home.
- Shrimp: diced chicken thigh
- Smoked sausage: regular sausage or Andouille sausage
- Chicken broth: vegetable broth or water
- Cilantro: sliced green onions
Tips
- Choose the right peppers: Select large bell peppers with relatively uniform size to ensure even cooking and a nice presentation. Also, choose the ones with four bumps so it can sit well in a baking dish.
- Bell pepper colors: Green peppers have a milder flavor and hold up well in stir-fries and savory dishes, while red, yellow, and orange peppers are great for roasting, grilling, and eating raw in salads. However, you can use any bell peppers that are available.
- Frying the ingredients: Using the same oil to fry the shrimps in which the sausages were fried, gives an aromatic flavor to the shrimp.
- Wash the rice: Wash the rice under running water to get rid of the starch. You can also soak it for 10-15 minutes before cooking. This will allow the rice to absorb water which will result in reduced cooking time and fluffier rice.
FAQs
Yes, the colors have subtle flavor variations. Green peppers have a slightly bitter taste, while yellow and orange peppers are sweeter. Red peppers are the sweetest and have a fruitier flavor. Choose the color you prefer or mix them for a visually appealing presentation.
Yes, you can prepare the Jambalaya rice stuffing in advance and stuff the peppers when you're ready to bake them.
Yes, you can freeze stuffed peppers for later consumption. Make sure they are cooled, properly wrapped. Stored in an airtight container in the freezer. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Absolutely. You can create a vegetarian or vegan version by omitting the sausage, shrimp and chicken broth with plant-based protein options like tofu, tempeh, or legumes and vegetable broth.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Tender Beef Karahi Recipe
- Jerk Shrimp Pasta (Rasta Pasta Recipe)
- Mushroom Pappardelle
- Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl
Fusion Recipes
Try out some of our specialty recipes:
- Jerk Chicken Quesadilla
- Sumac Fries
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Indian style)
- Easy Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
Recipe
Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- ½ lb smoked sausage, sliced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- salt to taste
- pepper
Instructions
- Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Lightly brush them with olive oil, both inside and out, and set them aside. Season the shrimp with salt and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Wash the rice to get rid of the starch and set aside.
- In a pot, cook the smoked sausages in olive oil. Once cooked, set aside. In the same oil, fry the shrimps for 1-2 minutes on each side and set it aside.
- In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté garlic and diced onions until aromatic. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Stir for another 5 minutes, and add the rice, chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low-medium as soon as the water begins to boil and cover with a lid. Once the rice is cooked after 10-12 minutes, Mix in the cooked shrimp and sausage.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture and cover it with the top of bell peppers. Place the peppers in a baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
- Once the peppers are cooked, remove them from the oven and garnish with chopped cilantro. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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