Whether you need a little comfort after a night on Bourbon Street, 
or it’s just been one of those days, this recipe will do the trick. 
And it’s not just a comfort food dish. It’s also a quintessential New Orleans recipe that’s just downright delicious. 
Mike and I enjoyed our first taste of authentic New Orleans’ Jambalaya on our last day in the Big Easy at a downtown spot called Mother’s. We had heard that their oyster po’ boys were a must. Well, having already had an oyster po’ boy the day before, I opted for the red beans and rice, Jerry’s jambalaya and of course the bread pudding (that was Ah-mazing!). So today we bring you Jerry’s Jambalaya. 
Fortunately Mother’s had the recipe online, so we did our best to stick to it. First, we started with the Creole tomato sauce – tomatoes, shallots, seasonings and a splash of red wine. 
Then it was time for the jambalaya for which there are no doubt many a family recipe with no two alike. Our version features smoked sausage (we used kielbasa) and chicken (we had some leftover grilled chicken from the freezer). 
Chorizo would be fantastic in this as well, but we wanted to keep it toned down for the kids. Other ingredients include rice, chicken stock and of course the New Orleans’ “holy trinity” of celery, onions and bell pepper. Seasonings for the jambalaya feature thyme, basil, oregano, white pepper and cayenne. Feel free to adjust the cayenne to taste, again we kept ours on the less spicy side. 
There are a lot of ingredients which may make this seem like a time consuming recipe, but really with a little mise en place, it’s not too bad. Once everything is chopped up, most of it cooks itself. While our at home attempt wasn’t quite the same as my dish at Mother’s, it was still pretty darn delicious. It was filling, flavorful, warm and comforting. 
Most importantly it was a hit with the whole family. Mike, Miss A and I gave it 3 spoons – Miss A particularly loved the sausage – and Mr. N gave it 3-1/2 spoons. The recipe also made plenty of leftovers which made for an easy dinner later in the week (always a bonus!).
We’ll be back next week with a holiday treat from the country of Chile! Until then, we’ll leave you with one last pic…Miss A enjoying her souvenir from NOLA. In fact it was what she “wanted her whole entire life!” 😉 
Print this recipe: Creole Tomato Sauce
Print this recipe: Jambalaya
Eat, Play, Love 
This sounds like comfort food at its best..full of flavors and textures.
Miss A’s picture and comment put a big smile on my face,she reminds me of my daughter when she was younger, everything was so dramatic with her..still is actually 🙂
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Well damn, I’ve never been to New Orleans but those second and third photos sure looked familiar for some reason… I did a bit of head-scratching and then realised that that zombie game Left4Dead 2 has New Orleans as one of its maps. Perhaps that’s even the same street!.
Anyhoo – I don’t think I was ever fortunate enough to have a jambalaya. It looks fantastic… great warming dish, packed with flavours. Totally agree about the chorizo. I even thought the kielbasa was chorizo at first. Can you not get mild chorizo there? We can usually get it in three or four different “spice levels”.
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That does look like the same street – or at the very least a street in French quarter. 🙂 Cool! I think you would love jambalaya Charles! It’s one of those recipes you can totally play with and it will always taste good. 🙂 I’ll have to check for different levels of heat on our chorizo. I haven’t noticed before. I’m sure at least one of the stores around here would have the different types. 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
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How cute is that photo of Miss A and of course, isn’t that just what we’ve all wanted for our entire lives! This recipe looks tasty, comforting and very delicious xx
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Truth be told, I’m actually sad I didn’t get one for myself. 😉
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I love when restaurants actually have recipes for their dishes online. I would have wanted to recreate this jambalaya as well! I think I’ve only had the dish once before, so I’m gonna need to give this recipe a try. That photo of Miss A is absolutely adorable! What a great souvenir. 🙂
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Me too Caroline! Especially when the restaurants aren’t close enough to get back to easily. 🙂
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My friend who used to make really great Jambalaya moved away, and since then I hadn’t had any Jambalaya! The fact that you ate this at the restaurant and you cooked and showed with us, I’m really excited to try this recipe! Miss A is really cute! I love her smile!
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By the way, I love your family photo on the previous post. Very happy and beautiful family!
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Thank you Nami! 🙂 I’m glad that Miss A had the foresight to do the picture early this year. It will be treasured.
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What an adorable photo of Miss A enjoying what she’s wanted her whole life…I find it suits her too! So cute. Your Jambalaya sounds wonderful Kristy – I like the idea of adjusting the temperature – as things get colder outside we tend to move towards those warming/spicy dishes in our home. I think our whole family would love this one!
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It does suit her doesn’t it! I saw it and grabbed it immediately. 🙂
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jambalaya always has been a comfort food and the look of yours would definitely comfort me just enough to get up and enjoy N.O. all over again! LOL! IT looks delicious
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Exactly! We did get up and enjoy N.O. all over again (albeit not the extent of the first night!). 🙂
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Looks great – I am definitely in need of comfort tonight – still can’t shake Friday…
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Me either Dawn.
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Miss A looks so precious!!! I love jambalaya and will definitely making this SOON!
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Thanks Ashley! Isn’t she a riot!
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Miss A is just so precious!!! I love jambalaya, and I am SO making this.
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Never made Jambalaya, only enjoyed it in restaurants! Great post, great photos as usual…
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Thanks Sally! It was a fun recipe to make. I had a lot of fun with this one – found it relaxing. 🙂
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Your wonderful trip to New Orleans inspired you to make one of my favorite dishes…it looks great. I usually use andouille sausage but it might be two spicy for your two little sous chefs.
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Definitely too spicy for them, but not for me! 🙂
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Oh boy this one is for my husband Kevin. He is a HUGE jambalaya fan but insists that I go to the market to buy andouille sausage since he feels that is authentic. So you must tell me — do they use andouille in their jambalaya in New Orleans? I checked Mother’s recipe and it said to use smoked sausage. Anyway, this looks terrific Kristy. I will definitely give it a try soon as it will make someone here very happy. Hugs to you and the family.
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Hi Barb! They did use andouille sausage in some versions of the jambalaya. They options are just so varied and all delicious! We looked for andouille here (albeit not at multiple stores this time), but couldn’t find any. We did get some chorizo, but then decided against it with the kids.
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I like anything that sounds like comfort food, Kristy! We need a big old bowl full of it! I love the idea that the heat can be adjusted. And it just sounds so tasty. And I would really love some of that bread pudding you enjoyed! 🙂 I hope the new week is a good one for you and your family as we head into Christmas. oxo
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The bread pudding was out of this world. 🙂 I can’t wait to make some again. Thank you for the well wishes Debra.
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Nola is gorgeous, so pretty. I love how traveling really makes you think about different dishes and flavors that you might have thought to make unless you went for a visit. A beautiful dish and very kid friendly. Take Care, BAM
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It’s my favorite part of traveling BAM! I just need to get back to Europe now…My experience there was before I learned to really appreciate food and cooking. It would be a totally new adventure now!
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Another successul creation, congrats! Lovely photo of Miss A.
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She just cracks me up Norma! 🙂
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Your recipe looks so flavoursome and comforting for sure 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thank you CCU! 🙂
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That mask is so her! Food looks great. Nice NOLA shots.
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Isn’t it though! I saw it and bought it immediately. Loved NOLA! Thank you guys for all your recommendations on where to eat. 🙂
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You’re welcome. We wish we could fly down just for Commander’s Palace.
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I think you’ve put together a winning dish here, Kristy, especially given the number of spoons your SousChefs gave it. Jambalaya is one of New Orleans true gems. And that’s saying a lot for any dish in a city that is Mecca for foodies.
Miss A looks like she’s ready for the Masquerade Ball. Tell M’Lady her coach awaits …
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Ugh! Kristy!!! Time for bed. Tell M’Lady the coach will be by at 9:00 tomorrow morning. 🙂
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LOL! I had to laugh because she is typically up and wearing a dress (of the Disney princess variety) every morning! 🙂
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One of my favourite rice dishes, Jambalaya. Love them spicy hot
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Me too! 🙂
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That recipe looks divine, I’ll bet linguicia would be a fantastic subsitute for chorizo if need be.
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I had to look up linguicia, but you’re right…that would be fantastic!!!! 🙂
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Our friend T from Paul in Illinois prepare a Jumbalay that is so good, I haven’t tried to make it, but I might with this recipe! Wowzers!
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It wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected Eva, and the result was fantastic!
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I love jambalaya. My favourite version to make at home had duck meat, shrimp and chorizo in it. Of course the base was Zatarain’s Jambalaya rice mix. 🙂
By the way, I would have had a po’ boy (fried oyster, catfish, shrimp … whatever) every day I was there. With at least one or 2 pralines for afters. Late in the evening, a stroll to Preservation Hall, Hurricane in hand, for some music. Heaven.
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Oh my goodness Maria! That would be to die for! Duck meat!!!! Love it. 🙂 I did have a great po’ boy (oyster) at another restaurant in the garden district. There was just so much new food to keep trying that I think I was perpetually full! 🙂 It was heaven.
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Quite an unusual way of preparing jambalaya: it will be huge fun to try! Oh, and I think Miss A will love that photo of herself all her life also: delightful 🙂 !
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It was definitely delicious and a lot of fun too. 🙂
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