Jackfruit Jambalaya Recipe

Ask a handful of Southern cooks for their jambalaya secrets, and you’ll probably get lots of different answers. This one-pot meal is traditionally made with rice, veggies (especially the Louisiana “Holy Trinity” of onions, celery, and green bell pepper), plus meat or sausage. But this version has a vegan twist that’ll wow your taste buds in under an hour. The recipe comes from Jenné Claiborne’s new cookbook, Sweet Potato Soul, and subs in chickpeas and meaty jackfruit.

Jackfruit Jambalaya

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 celery stalks, chopped (1 ½ to 2 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 (10-ounce) pouch chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (10.6-ounce) package Upton’s Naturals BBQ Jackfruit
3 cups vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce or another brand, plus more for serving
Salt
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add oil, followed by onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, then add tomatoes, rice, chickpeas, and jackfruit. Stir well. Stir in the vegetable stock, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook with lid ajar for 25 minutes, or until rice is almost tender.

Add creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Continue to cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve topped with fresh parsley and hot sauce.

Recipe adapted from Sweet Potato Soul © 2018 by Jenné Claiborne. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.