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As summer turns to fall I’m craving heavier meals. They’ve still got to be healthy and vegan, but maybe a little higher in complex carbohydrates 😉 This vegan mushroom jambalaya fits the bill every time! Jambalaya is a delicious Creole and Cajun rice-based dish. It’s made a million and one ways, depending on the cook, but the base is always rice.
In my cookbook I have a recipe for Jackfruit Jambalaya. Jackfruit isn’t very filling on it’s own, so I bulk that recipe up with chickpeas. It’s the bomb! But I dare say, this vegan mushroom jambalaya is even better! I use a mix of meaty mushrooms––shiitake, oyster, and shredded king oyster mushrooms––to make it. The result is an extraordinarily flavorful and meaty vegan jambalaya. Shredded king oyster mushrooms have a texture similar to chicken, while shiitakes and oyster mushrooms have an almost seafood quality to them. I hate to use non-vegan terms like meaty and seafood, but I really don’t know how else to describe to you how familiar and authentic this dish is. Finish it off with pan fried vegan sausage––I used the white bean sausage from my cookbook–– and you’ve got yourself a perfect jambalaya.
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I highly recommend seeking out these “harder-to-find” mushrooms for this dish. I always buy mine at the local Asian grocery store. They’re always fresh, and always inexpensive! Oyster and shiitake mushrooms have amazing health benefits, and are often described as medicinal mushrooms. They are especially good sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. These mushrooms have an earthy and rich mushroom flavor, with lots of umami, which is essential for adding depth to this recipe. If you can’t get your hands on them, you can use cremini and/or portobello mushrooms. Those mushrooms have a higher water content. So to draw out their meatiness and concentrate their flavor try putting a heavy dish, lid, or pan on top of them as they cook on medium-low heat. I use this trick for all mushrooms, but especially the “normal” ones.
Enjoy!
Vegan Mushroom Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked Brown Jasmine Rice, I use Lundberg Farms brand
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 celery stalks, diced (1 ½ cups)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups of mushrooms, I used oyster, shiitake, and shredded king oyster mushrooms
- 4 cups vegetable stock or water + 1 ½ tsp vegan bouillon paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 vegan sausages, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 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 and mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for about 7 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
- Add the rice, vegetable stock, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir well.
- 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.
- Pan fry the vegan sausage slices, then stir them into the jambalaya.
- Serve topped with fresh parsley and hot sauce.
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Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m a mom of two kids and my elder son does not like mushrooms. As a vegan mom I always wanted to feed him mushrooms but it’s seems impossible but day before yesterday I cooked this recipe and lucky he liked the taste. Thank a lot again. Hope you keep posting more such tasty and healthy recipes. Bless you!
I made your cookbook version of this last night, it was most excellent! I’ve done a couple of other cookbook recipes and love those as well. My brother is non-vegan and has liked all the recipes of yours I’ve made so far! Think I will do this version next time I make jambalaya, I love mushrooms!
This was absolutely delicious! My partner and I loved it and can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
This was SPECTACULAR!
The Minnesotan husband even asked for thirds and, let me tell you, that’s the highest of compliments around here seeing as, when I met him, he wouldn’t eat peppers or beans or mushrooms and thought anything more than black pepper was too spicy. Twenty years later and I can get him to eat at least one serving of almost anything, but he rarely goes back for seconds of anything with peppers.
I did make a couple of adjustments though: I used a whole Vidalia onion, an entire head of garlic and I doubled the hot sauce. In went the Trader Joe’s Italian sausage free sausage that I had in the freezer and an entire 20 ounce pack of baby Bellas from Costco.
This was my first attempt at any of your recipes, but since it’s already added to our regular rotation, I’ve now got your cookbook on order. Thanks!
Yay! Your subs sound perfect too!
Enjoy the cookbook recipes 🙂