This Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya is filled with turkey sausage, shrimp, rice and a delicious Cajun-inspired sauce that makes a great weeknight dinner idea!
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I’m coming at you today with this super easy weeknight meal idea – say hello to this healthy, delish Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe! It’s easy, it’s fun and it’s just packed with protein and simple flavours you likely already have on hand in your pantry!
The secret is using Cajun seasoning to flavour the rice along with a blend of canned diced tomatoes and chicken broth. From there you throw in some turkey sausage, frozen shrimp, cook it all on high pressure for 10 minutes then stir in your bell peppers after everything is done cooking.
Set it and forget it, definitely my cooking style!
Now this is the absolute perfect meal prep recipe because it comes together in just the one pot and you get all your protein, veggies and grains all in one! And did I already mention how simple the sauce is?!
Other than sourcing the proteins from your freezer and having some fresh bell peppers in the fridge, you should definitely have all ingredients already on hand so no last minute trips to the store or wasting time.
Just you, your Instant Pot and a little over a half hour stands between you and healthy, wholesome lunches for the week!
How to Make Instant Pot Jambalaya
Now I’ve never even made Jambalaya before, so I’m so happy I tried it in my Instant Pot! It’s originally a Creole-style dish that incorporates all kinds of delicious Southern-inspired ingredients with a Caribbean flair. You need some sort of sausage meat (or worst case scenario ground pork, chicken or turkey) along with frozen shrimp, rice, canned diced tomatoes, broth and the right spice blend.
I always use frozen shrimp because it helps to keep the shrimp from overcooking, whereas the sausage may take a little longer to cook alongside the rice so you want everything to have an even cook time.
I made my own homemade Cajun seasoning too which mostly just consists of a blend of paprika (I used Spanish smoked paprika), along with some garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and chili powder. Mix up equal parts of all of it (less chili flakes if you don’t want too much spice), and then you’ve got your own Cajun seasoning blend without having to pay a high price tag at the store or deal with any high sodium levels.
I will usually mix up a big blend of homemade seasonings like Cajun, Italian and taco seasonings and just keep them on hand alongside my spices – they make weeknight cooking even easier because it’s just a matter of pulling the blended spices out and using them!
I can’t tell you how many times I actually make rice-based dishes like this in the Instant Pot for my weekly meal prep too! It’s a great way to whip something up quickly and easily without requiring much hands on cooking time. You just dump everything in one pot and set it and forget it. I love the Instant Pot for that.
Got a busy weekend and don’t want to waste any of your precious time cooking?
Well, the Instant Pot has got your back! And you can easily sub in whatever veggies are in need of using up so it’s as easy as cooking everything up in a flash.
I just used a couple bell peppers for this Instant Pot Jambalaya because I almost always have veggies on hand in the fridge, but even if you just had some spinach or leftover greens lying around it would work! You mainly want to focus on having the shrimp and sausage because those are the most delicious components of any jambalaya.
Will you be making this Instant Pot Jambalaya?
It’s just filled with all my fave ingredients, and it’s so easy to throw together after a busy work day (or you can whip up a giant batch for your weekly meal prep!)
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
Grab some Glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this jambalaya up for lunch!
I get free range ground chicken from my monthly Butcher Box – it’s a great way to enjoy healthier meats and poultry and they’re even offering 2 free ribeyes and bacon!
5-Day Instant Pot Challenge!
Learn how to use your Instant Pot to meal prep by subscribing to our newsletter!
Instant Pot Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning (homemade or store bought)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb chicken, turkey or pork sausages, casings removed and meat mixed up
- 1/2 lb frozen shrimp
- 1 (796 mL) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups dry uncooked white rice
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, sausage, shrimp, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and rice to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick release of the pressure.
- Open lid when safe to do so and stir in bell peppers and parsley. Let sit for 5 minutes with the lid on to steam the peppers. Garnish with extra parsley then serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
