Description
This Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya Soup is a comforting, flavorful one-pot meal featuring shrimp, smoked sausage, peppers, tomatoes, and your choice of cauliflower rice or white rice. Made quickly in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop, it is a spicy, hearty recipe perfect for weeknights, and can easily fit a low-carb or Whole30 lifestyle. Garnish with scallions for added freshness.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb shrimp, thawed if previously frozen
- 1 (12 oz) package smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces (can substitute kielbasa – use sugar free for Whole30)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (16 oz) package frozen cauliflower rice, or 1 cup regular uncooked white rice
- Chicken or beef broth (see notes for amounts): 3 cups for cauliflower rice (stovetop), 1 cup for cauliflower rice (Instant Pot), 5 cups for regular rice (stovetop), 3 cups for regular rice (Instant Pot)
Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (add more for heat)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (reduce for less heat)
For Thickening and Garnish
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tbsp water
- Diced scallions/green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep Ingredients: Prepare all ingredients by thawing shrimp, dicing the onion and pepper, slicing sausage, and mincing garlic. Gather your seasonings and other ingredients for an organized cooking process.
- Sauté Aromatics (Stovetop & Instant Pot): For stovetop, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. For Instant Pot, set to ‘Sauté’ mode and heat olive oil for 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Sauté for 2-4 minutes, stirring until softened and fragrant.
- Cook Shrimp (Stovetop): Add the shrimp to the pot, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, just until opaque and pink. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside. (In Instant Pot version, shrimp is added later.)
- Add Sausage: Add sausage slices to the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring to brown slightly on all sides.
- Add Tomatoes, Rice, Broth, and Seasonings: Stir in the can of diced tomatoes, your choice of rice, and the required broth (see notes for amounts). Add all seasonings. Stir well to combine.
- For Stovetop: Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is cooked. Add the shrimp back in near the end. Adjust seasoning as needed. Arrowroot slurry is not needed for stovetop method.
- For Instant Pot: After sautéing vegetables and adding sausage, tomatoes, rice, broth, and seasonings, lock lid in place, set valve to ‘Sealing’, and cook on manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. While cooking, mix arrowroot powder with water to make a slurry.
- Finish Instant Pot: Quick release pressure when done. Set Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’. Add in frozen cauliflower rice (or uncooked regular rice) and raw shrimp, and cook 5-7 minutes for cauliflower rice or 10-12 minutes for regular rice, until both are cooked through. Stir in arrowroot slurry to thicken. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve: Serve soup hot, garnished with diced green onions and a splash of hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Broth amount: Adjust broth based on the rice and method—see details below.
- For cauliflower rice in Instant Pot: 1 cup broth; stovetop: 3 cups broth.
- For regular white rice in Instant Pot: 3 cups broth; stovetop: 5 cups broth.
- Spice Level: Add more cayenne or red pepper flakes for extra heat, or reduce for milder soup.
- For a Whole30 version, use sugar-free kielbasa or sausage, and cauliflower rice.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can taste even better the next day as flavors develop.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 331 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1287 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.01 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
