Savory Tooth

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Jambalaya

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Summary:
Craving the flavors in jambalaya, but not its carbs? This low carb version uses cauliflower rice in place of white rice, cooked together with sausage, shrimp, tomato sauce, and Cajun seasoning. It's a one-pot meal — all ingredients are conveniently cooked together in a single pot on the stovetop.
jambalaya served in white bowl

Jambalaya

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Cool: 10 minutes
Yield: 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups cauliflower rice (Note 1)
  • 12 ounces andouille sausage (4 links), thinly sliced
  • 12 ounces shrimp (Note 2)
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Cajun Seasoning Mix (Note 3):

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Prepare: This recipe moves quickly — all ingredients should be measured and prepared before cooking. Spices can be collected into one bowl.
  • Brown Sausage: Add butter and sausage slices to pot over medium-high heat. Stirring occasionally, cook until sausage is slightly browned and a bit shrunken, about 5 minutes.
  • Cook Cauliflower & Shrimp: Add cauliflower rice, shrimp, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix to pot. Stir until well-mixed, about 1 minute. Cook until sauce is thickened and shrimp is cooked through (Note 4), about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Finish & Serve: Turn off heat. Stir in diced bell pepper until well-mixed. Let stand for 10 minutes or until jambalaya is cool enough to eat. Serve (Note 5).

NUTRITION

Makes 3 Servings
Amount Per Serving (2 cups):
Calories 420 (42% from fat)  
Total Fat 20g 30%
   Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 291mg 97%
Sodium 2250mg 94%
Net Carb 10g  
Total Carb 14g 5%
   Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
   Sugars 7g  
Protein 50g  
Vitamin A 28% · Vitamin C 123% · Calcium 12% · Iron 19%

PHOTOS

jambalaya served in white bowl
ingredients for making jambalaya
spices for making jambalaya
cooking sliced sausage
adding bell pepper to jambalaya
cooking jambalaya in black pot
close up view of cooking jambalaya
overhead view of jambalaya

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Cauliflower Rice. About 9 ounces weight. You can use fresh or frozen. I recommend picking up a bag of pre-riced cauliflower in the produce section or freezer aisle of U.S. grocery stores — easier than grating cauliflower florets with a box grater or food processor. If you choose to grate your own cauliflower rice, you’ll need about half of a large head of cauliflower.
(2) Shrimp. I use fresh raw shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. Frozen shrimp is fine; defrost them in the refrigerator until fully thawed, drain excess liquid, and pat dry with paper towels before using them in this recipe. Pre-cooked shrimp is also fine to use; it will cut down on the cooking time in Step 3.
(3) Cajun Seasoning. The amount of spices used in this seasoning mix (coupled with the spicy Andouille sausage) results in a moderately spicy dish. Adjust the amount of cayenne up or down to your preference. Alternatively, the entire seasoning mix can be substituted with 1.5 tablespoons of store-bought Cajun seasoning.
(4) Thickening Sauce / Cooking Shrimp. The sauce is sufficiently thickened when it clings easily to food and is no longer watery. To determine when the shrimp is done, check its appearance: shrimp is raw when it’s gray and translucent, and fully cooked when it’s opaque white with bits of pink. If the pot gets too dry and food starts sticking to the bottom of the pot before the shrimp has fully cooked, add a few tablespoons of water.
(5) Serving / Leftovers. Serve into bowls once the jambalaya is cool enough to eat. Pair with side dishes like keto friendly cornbread or cheddar biscuits. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and reheated using the microwave.
(6) Onion & Celery Option. Onion and celery are omitted to minimize the amount of carbs per serving. If desired, add 1/2 cup each of diced celery and onions to this recipe, satisfying the “holy trinity” base (bell pepper, onion, celery) often used in Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisine.

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About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes in a user-friendly format. She typically prefers savory foods over sweet, hence the name of the site. Contact her at julia@savorytooth.null.com.

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Connie

This was AMAZING!! We will definitely be including in our monthly rotation. Since there were no reviews, I had to make a few modifications, but it came out perfectly. First, I used 2 cans of tomato sauce. One can barely covered the shrimp and sausage, so there was zero soup for it. I also added 1 cup of chicken broth so I had a bit more soup. Next time, I would cut the broth down to 1/2 cup, but it seemed like the dish needed the liquid since all of the tomato sauce stuck immediately to the shrimp/sausage.

We also added the onions/celery, as recommended, and it was excellent. We saved enough carbs to add real rice with it as the cauliflower rice was lost in the soup. Overall, this dish is spot on and we loved it!

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4 years ago
Patricia

Why is there so much salt in this recipe?

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3 years ago
Julia

Salt adds flavor to a dish. If you are watching your sodium intake, you can simply use less salt.

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3 years ago
Jessica

I see what you’re saying the sodium is really high. It might be the sausage and the shrimp also?

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3 years ago
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