Quick and Easy

'Thankful for Leftover Turkey' Jambalaya

by: aargersi

November 27, 2009

4.3

11 Ratings

'Thankful for Leftover Turkey' Jambalaya

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Serves 6-8

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Author Notes

My husband and I love New Orleans. He proposed in New Orleans. We go to New Orleans annually and gobble up the cuisine as fast as possible. The inspiration for this is deeply engrained! I LOVE Joe's Stuff which you can order here OR - go there and pick some up in person! http://www.neworleansschoolofcooking.com/ Also we swear by the Zatarains rice but you can use your favorite long grain white rice. - aargersi —aargersi

Test Kitchen Notes

It would never have occurred to us to put turkey in jambalaya, which seems so focused on pork, but it's a terrific idea. Turkey's gaminess compliments the andouille and holds its own against the cajun spices. Aargersi also includes smoked paprika, a smart touch. Don't be put off by the ingredient list, which calls for Zatarains rice, Abita Amber or Joe's stuff. Use what you can find: we made do with Uncle Ben's, Anchor Steam and another brand of cajun seasoning. If you'd like, you can adjust the heat level by decreasing the amount of cajun seasoning and choosing a milder andouille. - A&M —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved
Your Best Recipe for Turkey Leftovers Contest Finalist

What You'll Need

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'Thankful for Leftover Turkey' Jambalaya

Ingredients

3 links andouille sausage, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups turkey, cut up into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow onion, medium diced
1 green bell pepper, medium diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Zatarains long grain white rice
1 Abita Amber (or other amber) beer
1 cup water in addition to the beer to make 4 c liquid
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 cups canned whole tomatoes
4 tablespoons Joe's Stuff (or other cajun seasoning)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
¹/₂ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the olive oil on medium high in a large pot; add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic, andouille, turkey, Joe's Stuff, and paprika. Cook 2-3 more minutes.
Hand crush the tomatoes and add them. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the parsley.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cover—cook until the rice is done, about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.

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29 Reviews

Tdefield October 15, 2023

Turkey Jambalaya : First I see that it has been sometime since the original post, so I maybe out of line here ! Item Qty of beer. It states " a Abita Amber beer " My first thought was does this beer come in different size choices ? Such a s12 oz, 24 oz or even a 40 oz size, this most likely solved some dilemma in how much. If only available in one size 12 oz , that should have been the end, making it slightly more than 2 cups of water.

toughlovemealprep August 23, 2023

Love this recipe very much. Thanks for posting

Dani June 12, 2022

Great recipe!

Dani June 12, 2022

Great recipe!

CHR@SF December 4, 2019

The instructions regarding amount of liquid are confusing. I assumed that the w. c. of tomatoes, 1 c.of beer, & 1 c. of water equaled the 4 c. of liquid called for in the recipe. Seems that's wrong, as my rice never cooked. I kept adding water until it softened, but then it was like mush. Flavor great, but such a disappointment, after the effort involved. Would appreciate clarification on this.

Tarah T. December 4, 2019

Just made this last night. I think the directions mean 4 cups of liquid of beer and water. I pour the ber in a 4 cup measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way with water- total of 4 cups. As far as the tomatoes, I used whole, drained them and then added to pot so I didn't have too much liquid, also mine had a little more moisture in the finished dish so I spread out( after cooked) on a cookie sheet in a low oven to dry out a bit, hope this helps

aargersi December 5, 2019

Tarah T is correct - if you read the ingredients again you will see it calls for 4 c liquid and that doesn't involve the tomatoes. Also, the kind of rice matters, if you can't get Zatarains you should look for another parboiled variety like Uncle Bens

1 cup Abita Amber (or other amber) beer
1 cup water in addition to the beer to make 4 c liquid

CHR@SF December 5, 2019

Thanks you both for your clarifications. I do still think the ingredients list is confusing,as 1 cup beer & 1 cup water do not add up to 4 cups of liquid. Shouldn't you correct to say 3 cups of water? Anyway, also didn't realize the rice had to be a parboiled variety. I'm sure that makes all the difference, & would suggest highlighting that in the recipe. Thanks so much again.

Tarah T. December 5, 2019

I used regular long grain rice. Personally I think parboiled rice is inferior! Ha, 1 beer and 1 cup of water don't make 4 cups, lol, unless you drank the other 5....it's 1 beer and the the rest water to make 4 cups

CHR@SF December 5, 2019

Very happy to know that regular rice should work, as I agree that it is superior to parboiled. You did make me laugh, which I appreciate, as well.

p. T. November 28, 2019

There is no higher use for leftover turkey than jambalaya. We have been making our version for years, but this looks great, too. Let the good times roll. If everything goes as planned, we will be eating jambalaya in New Orleans when the Oregon Duck women make the Final Four in April.

Jennifer November 26, 2018

Do I include the juices from the canned tomatoes, or just the tomatoes themselves?

aargersi November 26, 2018

Just tomatoes though juices will come out of them ... I get whole plum tomatoes and hand smoosh them.

BigPink November 2, 2019

You should avoid the tomatoes altogether, as jambalaya does NOT have tomatoes. If it has tomatoes, it’s not jambalaya. Traditional jambalaya gets its reddish brown color not from tomatoes but from scraping the fond from the bottom of the pot after you brown your meat.

Betsy November 26, 2017

This has become a huge favorite of mine for leftover turkey and was yet more fantastic this year with a roasted turkey stock subbed in for the water. Yummy!

allison May 25, 2017

Is Abita available in Pennsylvania? Can you suggest a substitute?

aargersi May 25, 2017

Any medium amber beer will work!

Shelby R. September 19, 2016

Did the chicken and used a smoked paprika! Absolutely fantastic and SO flavorful. 10/10 would reccomend

Tarah T. November 30, 2015

I made this yesterday and my family liked it and ate it all up! Thanks for helping me get rid of some of my turkey :)

hardlikearmour October 17, 2011

Made a double batch of this today! DEEE-licious. The beer really makes it tasty. Thanks for such a yummy and easy version of red jambalaya.

TheWimpyVegetarian October 21, 2010

Hey aargersi - this was great! I made it tonight with one of those roast chickens at the store instead of turkey. So easy to make and soooo flavorful!! We loved it.

aargersi October 21, 2010

Oh I am so glad you made and liked it! Plus you get to drink the rest of the beer - bonus!!!

TheWimpyVegetarian October 21, 2010

Yes - this went great with a nice mug of amber beer! The other bonus, as my husband said last night, was great leftovers for lunch today!

Sasquash December 7, 2009

This looks great! I will try this one for sure! yummy !

TheWimpyVegetarian December 6, 2009

This looks really great! I'm definitely trying this one.

Jball December 4, 2009

Yummy!!

mariaraynal December 4, 2009

I love the combination of andouille sausage and turkey. Excellent recipe. Full disclosure: aargersi is a great friend, and this gal can COOK.

dymnyno December 3, 2009

Great comfort food!!

lastnightsdinner December 3, 2009

Did my heart good to see a jambalaya recipe in the mix - yours sounds wonderful :)