Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
There’s no prep work necessary! Just stir the raw ingredients together in a dish and pop it in the oven for an easy Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya. This Cajun-inspired meal is full of Andouille sausage, shrimp, rice and veggies for a taste of the South — even on your busiest weeknights!
This has got to be the World’s Easiest Jambalaya, and after one bite you’ll never try another recipe again!
The rice bakes in the oven, along with the “Holy Trinity” of celery, onion, and bell pepper, plus plenty of Creole spices and garlic. As the rice cooks and releases its starches, you get a thick, creamy, risotto-like dish that’s perfectly seasoned and zesty. There’s just so much flavor and texture in the one dish meal!
How to Make Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya
- In the prepared dish, whisk together first 12 ingredients (water through oregano).
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Stir in sausage and shrimp. Cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Give it a good stir, and garnish with green onions just before serving.
Top Tip for Making a Great Jambalaya
In order to keep the sausage and the shrimp from over-cooking, you’ll just stir them into the jambalaya during the final few minutes of baking.
This hearty, cozy, and (most-importantly) EASY dinner is something that the entire family can agree on. Just adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning to keep it mild — or to amp up the heat — depending on your preference.
I’ve been serving this low-country specialty for as long as I can remember, and every single one of my babies has loved it. It’s truly a keeper!
Extra Helpful Tips
- Cooking for a Smaller Family? You can cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the Jambalaya in an 8-inch square pan.
- If you just need small quantities of the vegetables (like celery and bell pepper), you can purchase these vegetables pre-diced at your salad bar for an easy shortcut. And there’s no waste or leftovers!
Other easy Jambalaya recipes that you might enjoy:
Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 ÂĽ cups water
- 1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of celery soup, NOT diluted
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, NOT diluted
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, NOT drained
- 1 cup finely diced onion (I use frozen pre-diced onion for a shortcut)
- ½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use a squeeze bottle of fresh minced garlic for a shortcut)
- 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (or more for added spice)
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 12 oz. fully-cooked Kielbasa or Andouille smoked sausage, sliced into bite-sized rounds (I used Aidelle’s Cajun Style Andouille)
- 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Garnish: chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared dish, whisk together first 12 ingredients (water through oregano).
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Stir in sausage and shrimp. Cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Give it a good stir, and garnish with green onions just before serving.
I’ve never thought to make jambalaya like this before! I’m so intrigued, this looks delicious! What a great weeknight meal, so full of flavor!
Oh, you’ve got to try it this way, Gayle! You’ll never go back…it’s just too easy! 🙂
Please explain what we (water through oregano means)
I’m glad you asked as I thought that was odd too!!!! 🙂
Hey, Jacquie! It just means the first 12 ingredients listed — from the water all of the way down the list to the oregano. So you’re mixing everything EXCEPT for the sausage, shrimp and green onions (which are added towards the end). Hope that makes sense!
Sorry, recipe sounds delicious but still don’t understand your answer. What does water have to do with this recipe? Thanks.
Hi, Beverly! Water is the first ingredient in the list. You need to include the water in the dish because the rice needs water in order to cook (the rice will absorb the liquid as it bakes). Does that clarify it for you? Just let me know if you have questions.
Sounds yummy!
Thanks, Becky! I hope that you get to try it! 🙂
Ooh, this looks so good! Because Jesse’s family is from Central Louisiana we make jambalaya a little differently (it’s super simple – no vegetables!) but I love adding extra ingredients to it so I’ll have to try this!
Oh, interesting! My boys would probably love the no-veggies version! Hah! 🙂
I accidentally mixed in the sausage with the other ingredients is it going to hurt anything?
Hi, Colbie! No, it should be fine! You don’t want to stir in the shrimp at the beginning because it will get overcooked and tough by the end. That’s why I wait until the last minute. The sausage shouldn’t dry out too much or get too overcooked, so don’t worry. 🙂
This was delicious but the rice was not soft enough for my liking. Perhaps it should have cooked an additional 10 minutes or so before adding the shriimp and sausage. Any suggestions?
Hey, James! Yes, I would just add 5 or 10 more minutes to the time. The final cook time will vary slightly depending on the type of dish you’re using (for instance, glass dishes don’t get as hot as the nonstick metal pans, so the glass might need a bit longer). Glad you liked the taste! 🙂
This sounds delicious and best of all way easier than making it on the stovetop. My question is do you know if making it with brown rice is possible or would the bottom and sides of the dish burn before the rice is tender. Apparently brown rice takes about twice as long a white rice. TIA!
Hey, Teresa! I think it would probably be okay with the brown rice, but you will definitely need to bake it for about 90 minutes before adding the sausage and shrimp. Let me know if you give it a shot!