Instant Pot tempeh jambalaya
Smoky Cajun rice cooked right in the pot with browned tempeh, onion, pepper and celery, and tomatoes, one pot of big flavor that freezes well.
- 55 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.19 a serving
- 590 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.
- 2 packages tempeh, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 bay leave
Each serving has about 590 calories, 30 g protein, 78 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.19 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 diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the tempeh cubes with 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Set the Instant Pot to and add the oil.
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.
the tempeh, stirring every minute or so, 6 to 8 minutes, until on most sides.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 7 min
Move it to a plate.
Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook, stirring, about 4 minutes, until .
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Timer: 4 min
Stir in the garlic, the rest of the Cajun seasoning, the smoked paprika and thyme for 1 minute, . Press Cancel.
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.
Timer: 1 min
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot until nothing is stuck to it.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can trigger the burn warning, so scrape well.Stir in the rice, salt, bay leaf and tempeh and spread everything flat. Pour the tomatoes over the top without stirring.
Dolly’s tip: Tomatoes on the bottom scorch under pressure. Leave them on top.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting.
Timer: 16 min
Open the lid, fish out the bay leaf, and gently stir everything together with a fork.
Dolly’s tip: The rice keeps soaking up liquid as it sits, so it’s fine if it looks a little wet at first.Serve topped with green onions and a few shakes of 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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