Jambalaya Soup

Jambalaya Soup takes everything we love about the classic Louisiana rice dish and turns it into a cozy bowl of comfort food. With chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, and the Holy Trinity of onions, green bell peppers, and celery simmered in a tomato-rich broth with rice and Creole seasoning, this is a meal-level soup that delivers serious flavor. Serve it with warm cornbread, and dinner basically takes care of itself.

The hearty, deeply flavored Louisiana stews of gumbo, étouffée, and jambalaya are long-time SoupAddict family favorites, even though we’re not from the South. So, it was a very short stretch to take traditional jambalaya and make a spoons-only version.

This Creole-style Jambalaya Soup is a beautiful taste of the Big Easy, in the comforting form that belongs uniquely to soup. It’s perfect for a cozy meal at home or for serving a crowd after Mardi Gras festivities.

Recipe Highlights

• Jambalaya Soup is hearty and protein-packed with our favorite meats and seafood.
• Everything cooks in one pot, including the rice.
• Use authentic Creole seasoning for the best flavor.
• The soup goes from stove to table in under an hour, including prep. Big on flavor; low on fuss!

Key Ingredients

Proteins — I’ve always loved Jambalaya — both soup and stew forms — with a mixture of chicken thighs, andouille smoked sausage, and wild-caught shrimp. Swap the chicken thighs with a different cut, if you prefer. Use regular smoked sausage or kielbasa if you’d rather cut down on the spice. Substitute shrimp with bay scallops. It’s all good!

Holy Trinity — The famous Southern Holy Trinity of aromatic vegetables consists of onions, bell peppers, and celery. It’s perfect for this soup!

Rice — Long-grain white rice has a great texture for Jambalaya Soup, with the added advantage that it cooks fairly quickly. You can use brown rice instead, but I highly recommend cooking it in a separate pot, as it takes twice as long to cook and will absorb too much broth.

Creole seasoning — Jambalaya wouldn’t be Jambalaya without a zesty blend of Southern spices. Use a trusted brand from the grocery store, or try my homemade Creole Seasoning blend.

Frequently Asked Questions

–

How to Make Jambalaya Soup

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through and summary of making the soup.

Brown the proteins

Cook the seasoned chicken thigh pieces and sausage in some oil until the chicken is cooked most of the way through and the sausage edges take on a golden color.

Add the flavorings and veggies

Add the tomato paste, Creole seasoning, and flour, and let the paste and flour cook for a minute to two. Then blend into the meat mixture. Add the aromatic vegetables and saute until the onions begin to soften.

Simmer the rice in the soup

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and white rice, and bring to a simmer, cooking the rice according to package directions.

Finish the soup

When the rice has finished cooking, reduce the heat to low and stir in the shrimp, letting the residual heat from the soup cook it for 5 minutes. Top the soup with green onions and parsley, and serve.

Storing

Let the soup cool, transfer to an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the rice will continue to absorb the soup broth, and you’ll find that the soup has become a stew. No worries, though — it’s still delish! Think of as the best of both worlds: you make “Jambalaya Soup” on day 1, and then have leftover “Jambalaya” the rest of the week!

This Jambalaya Soup captures that wonderful balance of smoky, savory, and just slightly spicy that makes Louisiana cooking so irresistible. Serve it with a square of warm cornbread for soaking up every last drop of that delicious broth. If you make this soup, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment below and let me know if this recipe brought a little taste of New Orleans to your kitchen.

Jambalaya Soup

by Karen Gibson

5 from 1 vote

Jambalaya Soup is a Louisiana-inspired soup made with chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, rice, the Holy Trinity vegetables, and Creole seasoning simmered in a rich tomato broth for a hearty one-pot meal.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (or paprika or Old Bay seasoning)
• 7 ounces Andouille smoked sausage , slices thinly into half moons
• 1 cup diced onions (about 1/2 medium-large onion)
• 1 cup green bell peppers , diced
• 1/2 cup celery , diced (about 2 to 3 ribs)
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 15 ounce can crushed or pureed tomatoes (fire-roasted if possible)
• 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 8 ounces shrimp , peeled, deveined, tails off
• kosher salt
• green onions and minced parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

 

• Heat the oil in a 5 or 6 quarter Dutch oven or stock pot over medium until the oil shimmers.
• Toss the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning, and then add the chicken pieces in a single layer across the pot’s bottom, and let heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Flip the chicken pieces over to the raw side, and add the Andouille sausage to the pot.
• Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken pieces are cooked on the outside, and the sausage has begun to turn golden on the edges. (The chicken will finish cooking through when the soup and rice simmers.)
• Scoot the meat mixture to the side to clear an area in the pot. Add the tomato paste, flour, and 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning to the cleared area. Stir together, and let the tomato paste cook for a minute or two and take on a little darkening. Stir everything in the pot together.
• Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery to the pot and stir to mix well with the meat. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and rice. Bring the soup to an active simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
• Remove the lid and stir well; reduce heat to low.
• Add the shrimp and cook in the residual heat of the soup until plump and opaque.
• Taste the soup, and add salt to taste.

Add SoupAddict.com as a trusted Google source

Video

Keyword jambalaya soup

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!