Jambalaya Risotto is the best of two worlds! Classic risotto rice is simmered low and slow with onions, peppers, garlic, cajun-style andouille smoked sausage, shrimp and seasonings. The result is a crazy, delicious bowl of risotto! Dinner is served and only one pan is required!

Dinnertime has never been this delicious. When all the flavors combine and hit your tongue for the first time, you will be exported to a soulful spot in New Orleans, then quickly reminded about a vineyard country-scape in Italy. It’s that good.

Using a risotto rice in this recipe is so important becuase it gives the dish a creaminess effect that you would not be able to get from original rice. If you don’t happen to have risotto rice on hand, you can use regular, white rice, but keep in mind that you will be missing out on a majorly decadent creaminess. Difficult to explain, but sure is easy to eat!

Although this recipe is loaded with so many goodies, it doesn’t overwhelm you when you eat it! Since this dish has so many great things going for it, it can’t get any better than it already is, right? Well, maybe it can! This recipe is also very versatile. You could add in chicken, different varieties of bell peppers, zucchini, okra, scallops and the list could go on and on.
Get this Jambalaya Risotto simmering on the stovetop and have a one-pan dinner that you won’t be able to forget!

Jambalaya Risotto
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Jambalaya Risotto is the best of two worlds! Classic risotto rice is simmered low and slow with onions, peppers, garlic, cajun-style andouille smoked sausage, shrimp and seasonings. The result is a crazy, delicious bowl of risotto! Dinner is served and only one pan is required!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 13 oz Cajun-style andouille smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 cups risotto rice
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add in the onion and bell peppers and gently sauté for about 3-5 minutes, avoiding any browning. Add in the butter and stir until melted. Add the sausage into the pan and toss to combine. Sauté for another few minutes more.
- Add the rice in with the sausage and peppers and allow the rice to slightly toast in the butter for a couple minutes. Pour in the white wine and gently deglaze the pan. Stir in the diced tomatoes and cajun seasoning.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Working with one cup of chicken stock at a time, pour the stock into the rice and gently stir to combine. Allow the rice to simmer in the stock and when it starts to soak it all up, add in another cup of stock. This labor of love will take 15-20 minutes.
- When you get to the last cup of chicken stock, add in the shrimp as well. Gently stir to combine. Let the risotto and shrimp simmer in the last cup of stock until it is absorbed and the shrimp are cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the fresh parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
- Risotto can be a labor of love, but it is completely worth it!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour

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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂
Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
If you were to substitute the shrimp out for another protein (like chicken), how would you recommend doing this? Thanks.
Hey Sonja! I would add the chicken (cut into 1 inch pieces) at the same time I add in the sausage! That way, the chicken pieces will have some time to cook and brown. Thanks!
Directions were perfect, and I ended up with — as the name implies — a dish that was both a jambalaya in its ingredients, and a risotto in its preparation. The arborio rice gave a creaminess and elegance to the dish that I was never able to achieve with ‘regular’ jambalaya.
Delicious. I left out the meat and added additional vegetables and spice and don’t feel the dish was compromised at all. Thanks so much 🙂
I can’t eat onions will that ruin the dish
No you can leave them out!
This was really tasty! I noticed you didn’t include when to add the garlic. I would also recommend using a Dutch Oven as things were crowded in the large skillet.
Sounds delicious, can’t wait to make it. Have you ever added Parmesan cheese?