Angie Shaghaghi came up with this easy jambalaya recipe as a contestant on Rach's "Hey, Can You Cook?!" (And she won!)
"So it's one of those hot and spicy kind of days where you just need a little pick-me up," Angie says. " I encourage you to let this be your go-to dish. This recipe came about through one of the challenges I had when competing on Rachael Ray's Hey, Can You Cook?! television show. I was tasked with coming up with a dish using sausage, olives and chicken thighs. I quickly put together a mish-mosh of ingredients and found that the mixture actually tasted great. The judges adored the flavors, I won the challenge and I knew that this recipe would one day be part of my first cookbook. It's still a winner to this day, as I make it in all of my culinary classes, and everyone seems to enjoy it. You can also get it done and on the table all in 30 minutes!"
Take-It-From-Angie Tip: This is a great afterschool snack. Spread it over whole-grain tortilla chips, or serve hot over pasta or rice for dinner. Your children won't even know that it's good for them…and it has so many vegetables in it!
Adapted from Join My Table by Angie Shaghaghi. Copyright © 2020 by Angie Shaghaghi. All rights reserved.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red sweet bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow sweet bell pepper, diced
- 1 orange sweet bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, cubed
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs or shrimp, cubed
- 1 pound tomatoes, quartered, or one 28-ounce can tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for topping
Add oil to a large stock pan. Toss in sweet bell peppers, celery, onions and garlic, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan, and add the sausage and chicken. Once the chicken is opaque and cooked through, add the vegetables back into the pot along with the tomatoes, olives, cajun seasoning, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. If the dish is too thick for your taste, add a ¼ cup of chicken stock or water. Top with the parsley or cilantro.
