A combination of red beans and vegan sausage provides the protein in this easy vegan jambalaya contributed by Robin Robertson. It’s made with the culinary holy trinity of onion, green bell pepper, and celery, and simmered in a spicy tomato broth.
Have some hot cooked rice ready to spoon the jambalaya over — brown rice is preferable, though white is fine if that’s what you prefer.
Vegan sausage brands to choose from
Amy’s, Beyond, Field Roast, Gardein, Morningstar Farms, No Evil, Tofurky, and The Very Good Butchers all make excellent vegan sausage in an array of flavors and varieties. You may find store brands as well. They’re all good!
You won’t be afraid to find out “how the sausage gets made,” as the saying goes, as the main ingredients are usually vital wheat gluten and/or tofu (be alert, though, if you have gluten or soy sensitivity).
Explore more delicious recipes using vegan sausage.
Excerpted from Veganize It! © 2017 by Robin Robertson. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. Photos by William and Susan Brinson. See more about the book following the recipe box.
Vegan Jambalaya
A combination of red beans and vegan sausage provides the protein in this easy vegan jambalaya, made with the culinary holy trinity of onion, green bell pepper, and celery
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 to 6 vegan sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon filé powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- Cooked brown rice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot.
- Return the pot to the heat and add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic.
- Add the water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes, thyme, filé powder (if using), salt, cayenne, and beans. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- A few minutes before serving time, stir in the Tabasco and the reserved sausage. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot over rice.
Veganize It! is available wherever books are sold
More about Veganize It! by Robin Robertson
Discover vegan pantry staples—plus enticing recipes in which to use them—in this DIY guide. Many cooks prefer to make their own basics rather than buy expensive store versions, which are often loaded with additives and preservatives. These easy recipes make it easy to stock a home pantry.
Enjoy vegan milks, cheeses, bacon, burgers, sausages, butter, and even Worcestershire sauce in your favorite dishes. Sample Bahn Mi, Sausage Biscuits, Meaty-Cheesy Pizza, Milk Shakes, Jambalaya—even Jerky and Lemon Meringue Pie. With more than150 recipes and 50 color photos, this will become an indispensable cookbook for vegans—and everyone else who enjoys animal-free food.
See more easy vegan main dishes and ways to make your favorite dishes plant-based in Veganize This!
There’s not supposed to be red beans in Jambalaya! That’s for “red beans and rice” or chili but never jambalaya!
Seems like a lot of the vegan Jambalaya recipes out there have some kind of red beans in them … a way to replace some of the protein in the original recipe. So you’re probably right, it’s some sort of mash-up!