Vegetarian Jambalaya {Freezer Meal}
Mardi Gras is coming up. In celebration, I thought now would be the perfect time to try a freezer vegetarian jambalaya dish. The idea of a jambalaya freezer meal came from my sister a few months ago. The idea of a vegetarian version was my idea, since I don't eat meat. I thought beans would substitute well for meat. Apparently, I am not the only one with this (novel) idea because there are several vegetarian jambalaya recipes out there.
The recipe used for this vegetarian jambalaya freezer dish comes from thespruceeats.com. The recipe was chosen because it provided freezer prep instructions. It also didn't seem too difficult to make or require a ton of spices (which can get expensive). Plus, it's healthy. Check, check, and check (in my book anyway). The only ingredient I changed was that vegetable stock was used instead of water.
I didn't have two of the required spices; thankfully, I borrowed them from my mom and sister-in-law, which saved me about $5.00.As far as beans go, this recipe calls for red beans (red beans differ from red kidney beans by the way) and butter beans. If you want this recipe to be even more Southern, you could use black eyed peas (which are eaten in the South for good luck on New Year's Day). The first time I had black eyed peas was when I was living in Alabama. I'm not sure how well received these legumes are in the North. Since I am serving a Northern audience with this freezer casserole, I stuck to The Spruce Eats' recipe ingredients of red beans and butter beans.
Also, I saw a few recipes calling for roasted tomatoes, which would add a bit more kick. However, the added flavor really isn't necessary for this dish. Use whatever type of onion you prefer. I used a white onion (only half because it was very large), and the recipe was perfect.
Red pepper flakes can be spicy little buggers. If you're serving this meal to little ones or those that don't like a lot of "kick" in their meals, you may want to tone it down a bit by using 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of the called for 1/4 teaspoon.
If you are serving some meat eaters, you could easily create this dish and then divide it into two mini freezer friendly dishes, adding cooked sausage, shrimp, or chicken to the meat-friendly casserole.
The recipe used for this vegetarian jambalaya freezer dish comes from thespruceeats.com. The recipe was chosen because it provided freezer prep instructions. It also didn't seem too difficult to make or require a ton of spices (which can get expensive). Plus, it's healthy. Check, check, and check (in my book anyway). The only ingredient I changed was that vegetable stock was used instead of water.
I didn't have two of the required spices; thankfully, I borrowed them from my mom and sister-in-law, which saved me about $5.00.As far as beans go, this recipe calls for red beans (red beans differ from red kidney beans by the way) and butter beans. If you want this recipe to be even more Southern, you could use black eyed peas (which are eaten in the South for good luck on New Year's Day). The first time I had black eyed peas was when I was living in Alabama. I'm not sure how well received these legumes are in the North. Since I am serving a Northern audience with this freezer casserole, I stuck to The Spruce Eats' recipe ingredients of red beans and butter beans.
Also, I saw a few recipes calling for roasted tomatoes, which would add a bit more kick. However, the added flavor really isn't necessary for this dish. Use whatever type of onion you prefer. I used a white onion (only half because it was very large), and the recipe was perfect.
Red pepper flakes can be spicy little buggers. If you're serving this meal to little ones or those that don't like a lot of "kick" in their meals, you may want to tone it down a bit by using 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of the called for 1/4 teaspoon.
If you are serving some meat eaters, you could easily create this dish and then divide it into two mini freezer friendly dishes, adding cooked sausage, shrimp, or chicken to the meat-friendly casserole.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 c celery, chopped
- 3 garclic cloves, chopped/minced
- 2 c vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 (15 oz.) can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 c uncooked rice
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add green pepper, celery, onion, and garlic, and saute until tender.
- Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and the spices to the skillet. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add rice and reduce heat to low. Cover the skillet and let ingredients simmer (for about 20-25 minutes) until the rice is tender and a great deal of the juices have been absorbed.
- Stir in beans and let cook for about five more minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool a little before transferring to a freezer dish.
- Spray freezer dish with a non-stick spray (I use olive oil). Transfer jambalaya to the freezer dish. Cover with plastic wrap and then dish cover. Place in refrigerator to cool completely. Once cold, transfer to freezer.
- To prepare for serving: thaw in refrigerator, then warm in the oven (at 350°F). You could also warm on the stove top by transferring ingredients to a skillet. Last but not least, warm individual servings in the microwave.