Creamy jambalaya filled with shrimp, Cajun sausage, tomatoes, and bell pepper in every bite. This shrimp jambalaya soup is perfect for cold days.
Happy Tuesday!
I’ve been struggling to stay warm all weekend so I figured it’s time to share with you this shrimp jambalaya soup that’s been a lifesaver these past couple of weeks. That way you can keep warm too.
The weather has changed so quickly lately. One moment it’s raining, the next it’s sunny, and then it’s suddenly hailing out of nowhere. My sister Victoria and I were running up and down steps at a local park when all of a sudden something hit our heads. We had to cut our workout short when we realized that it was starting to hail and coming down pretty hard.
With weather like that, it’s definitely nice to come home to something warm and cozy, like this soup.
Believe it or not, this soup is actually inspired by a soup I’ve seen at the Safeway deli. It’s funny sometimes where you can get your inspirations.
There are days when I don’t feel like making myself lunch to bring to work or make dinner when I get home. You know, one of those days. So I would stop at Safeway to get a large container of soup. They have a few options, but the one that really stood out to me was the jambalaya soup since it’s so different. But as much as I wanted to try the jambalya soup, they use andouille sausages, which can contain beef. And since I don’t eat beef, I can never try it. I’m told I’m missing out.
So of course, that means I have to make my own version. But instead of regular andouille sausage, which you can totally use, I used Cajun style pork and chicken andouille sausages. Aidell (not sponsored, by the way) is my favorite brand for chicken sausages.
What I love most about this soup, you know, aside from the warmth and coziness of it all, is that it’s so filling and flavorful. You have red bell peppers, rice, Creole seasoning, tender shrimp, spicy sausage. And it reminds me of my days in New Orleans. I seriously miss Southern Cajun food. And since at the moment I have no plans to visit New Orleans, at least, not yet anyways, I’m going to have to make do at home. And this shrimp jambalaya soup is just so satisfying.
In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and cook the sliced sausages for a few minutes until they become browned. Once they are done cooking, place them on a paper tower covered plate so that the oil will drain. Place them aside for now.
In a large pot, add olive oil over low to medium heat for about a minute. Add diced onions, and cook them for a minute or two until tender. If the onions start to blacken, add a little bit of water to the pot.
Add diced bell pepper, celery, minced garlic, and diced jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes until tender.
Reserve about a 1/2 cup of chicken broth and pour the rest of the broth into the pot. In a large bowl, whisk together chicken broth and all purpose flour until the flour has completely dissolved. Slowly pour this flour broth mixture into the soup and stir to incorporate it. This will help thicken the soup.
Next, add diced tomatoes, uncooked rice, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is soft and tender.
Add the sausage and the shrimp, and let the shrimp cook for a few minutes until they turn an orangish red color and are no longer translucent. Season with salt and add more to taste as needed.
You want to add the salt at the end that way you can taste the soup and decide how much more seasoning it needs. Especially since the sausages add flavor to the soup.
Serve the shrimp jambalaya soup warm.
Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces Cajun andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- ¼ cup water
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 6 cups chicken broth (1/2 cup reserved)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 - 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 2 tablespoons Cajun/Creole seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound shrimp, deshelled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and cook the sliced sausages for a few minutes until they become browned. Once they are done cooking, place them on a paper tower covered plate so that the oil will drain. Place them aside for now.
- In a large pot, add olive oil over low to medium heat for about a minute. Add diced onions, and cook them for a minute or two until tender. If the onions start to blacken, add a little bit of water to the pot.
- Add diced bell pepper, celery, minced garlic, and diced jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes until tender.
- Reserve about a ½ cup of chicken broth and pour the rest of the broth into the pot. In a large bowl, whisk together chicken broth and all purpose flour until the flour has completely dissolved. Slowly pour this flour broth mixture into the soup and stir to incorporate it. This will help thicken the soup.
- Next, add diced tomatoes, uncooked rice, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is soft and tender.
- Add the sausage and the shrimp, and let the shrimp cook for a few minutes until they turn an orangish red color and are no longer translucent. Season with salt and add more to taste as needed.
- Serve the shrimp jambalaya soup warm.
Brad Nixon says
The challenge we have here, which we’ve surmounted before, is a non-sausage pescatarian jambalaya. This inspires me to try it again. A native New Orleanian might scoff, but one does what one must. Thanks.
Maniparna Sengupta Majumder says
This looks so tempting!
John says
Hi Andrea, not sure how I unfollowed your site, I reflowed. WordPress can be quirky I guess. This soup looks fabulous! ❤️
Rosemarie Malin says
Oh my goodness, this looks wonderful! It’s a must try in my book.
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
Hope you’ll like it, Rosemarie!
InspiresN says
looks super delicious!!
lulu says
Not only is your soup warming, it’s perfect for the season of Mardi Gras.
centerforcreativework says
Looks delicious!
geezer94 says
Wow … magnificent recipe …
Anna says
Instead of making a cold roux (the name for which escapes me right now), you can take and brown your onions and sausage in the first bit of olive oil, then use the drippings to make a hot roux by adding in the flour and stirring it until it browns and softens (almost like cold water and cornstarch effect). That’s a little closer to how it’s traditionally done with most southern food. But if you’re not used to hot Roux, it can be a bit tricky.
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
Thanks, Anna! I know it can be a little tricky so I thought it would be easier to mix it cold first rather than add it the flour to the pan. Sometimes people aren’t stirring fast enough that it clumps up. I thought the cold version would be easier for beginners. Thanks for bringing it up, Anna!
Subztitle says
Seems like a perfect food for a cold day outside.
Thanks for an awesome recipe 🙂
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
I hope you’ll like it!