Instant Pot red bean jambalaya
Smoky Cajun rice with the holy trinity, tomatoes and red kidney beans, cooked all in one pot under pressure so every grain soaks up the flavor.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.98 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leave
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 550 calories, 18 g protein, 100 g carbs and 9 g fat, and costs about $1.98 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No kidney beans? Pinto beans or black beans work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Set the Instant Pot to , add the oil, onion, pepper and celery, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Timer: 5 min
Stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika and thyme and cook 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Add the rice and stir 1 minute, until every grain is coated. Press Cancel.
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom well so nothing is stuck.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning.Scatter in the beans, bay leaf and salt, then spoon the tomatoes over the top without stirring.
Dolly’s tip: Tomatoes on the bottom scorch under pressure. Leave them sitting on top.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting.
Timer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep your hand away from the valve when you turn it. The steam is very hot.Open the lid, fish out the bay leaf and gently everything together with a fork. Let it sit 5 minutes.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
Serve topped with green onions and hot sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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