Vegan Jambalaya with Sausage
This Vegan Jambalaya is a meatless twist to a Cajun favorite! The spicy flavors meld together with rice and beans for a great one-pot meal.
Beans, rice, and vegan sausage take center stage in this hearty vegan jambalaya. Traditional Cajun comfort food can dish out as much or as little heat as you’d like. For an added kick, use vegan Cajun sausage and even fire-roasted tomatoes.
Special Ingredients
- Vegan butter – Use your favorite brand of vegan butter! Anything from sticks to spread will work well in this recipe.
- Vegan sausage – If you can find vegan Cajun sausage, it would be delicious in this recipe. Any vegan sausage will work, however. Choose mild or spicy, depending on how hot you want the finished vegan jambalaya to be.
- Cajun seasoning – Pre-mixed Cajun seasonings make this recipe come together quickly. Choose a seasoning that suits your desired heat level for the finished dish.
- Crushed tomatoes – Choosing crushed tomatoes will save you time from fresh or whole tomatoes and will add some texture to the dish without the tomato flavor becoming overwhelming.
- Black or red beans – Your favorite type of beans will work in this dish, so choose whichever you prefer or whichever is available.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce – Some Worcestershire sauces can have added fish ingredients, so be sure to choose a vegan formulation. This sauce adds a rich depth of flavor to the dish.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have vegan butter on hand, you can substitute a bit more olive oil as needed to saute the veggies.
- You can leave the vegan sausage out of this recipe, but the flavor will be milder. Add mushrooms in large pieces to replace the size and texture of the sausage, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- You can replace the crushed tomatoes with whole canned tomatoes, just be sure to use a food processor, immersion blender, or stand blender to break up the tomatoes. Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes are also an excellent choice and will add more heat if you prefer a spicier finished vegan jambalaya.
- If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce on hand, some ketchup mixed with soy sauce can closely mimic the flavor and texture.
- You can swap the long-grain white rice for brown rice, but you will need to adjust the cooking time and add more vegetable broth as needed. Choose rice such as basmati for this recipe, but steer clear of jasmine rice as the flavor of that type is very floral and won’t mesh with the flavors as well.
What types of vegan sausage will work in jambalaya?
Look for link-style or patty-style vegan sausages that can be cooked and broken up into the beans and rice. Loose sausage sold in a tube will also work since it breaks up as it cooks. Avoid sweeter sausages, such as apple or maple flavors, and opt for spicy or Italian sausage instead. Vegan Cajun sausage is the best fit for this dish if you can find it! Bratwurst-style sausages can be cooked and then sliced into rounds and will also work in this vegan jambalaya.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 package vegan sausage (14oz) sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons cajun seasoning, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 14 ounces can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 14 ounces can of black or red beans
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- fresh chopped parsley and green onion for topping
METHOD
- In a large pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the sliced vegan sausages and 1 tablespoon of the cajun seasoning and sauté until browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the tablespoon of vegan butter and let it melt. Then add in the veggie mix. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes, beans, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and veggie broth to the pan. Stir well, bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer (covered) and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Stir frequently to make sure the rice doesn’t burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable broth as needed if the mixture starts to dry out.
- Add the cooked vegan sausage back into the pan and mix. Remove from heat.
- Top with chopped parsley and green onions, and enjoy!
Vegan Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 14 oz package vegan sausage sliced
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2-3 tbsp cajun seasoning divided
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14oz can black or red beans
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- fresh chopped parsley and green onion for topping
Instructions
- In a large pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the sliced vegan sausages and 1 tablespoon of the cajun seasoning and sauté until browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the tablespoon of vegan butter and let it melt. Then add in the veggie mix. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes, beans, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and veggie broth to the pan. Stir well, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer (covered) and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Stir frequently to make sure the rice doesn’t burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable broth as needed if the mixture starts to dry out.
- Add the cooked vegan sausage back into the pan and mix. Remove from heat.
- Top with chopped parsley and green onions, and enjoy!
