This post brought to you by Butterball Every Day. All opinions are 100% mine.

Turkey Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

All the intense flavor of jambalaya without the spiciness and fat…a kid friendly meal!

Hubs and I went to New Orleans a few years ago (before marriage and kids) and instantly fell in love with all the flavors in the cooking!  Jambalaya is a staple in every restaurant and New Orleans is THE place to find the BEST jambalaya around!

Now that we have kids we still love to delve into some good ol’ fashioned New Orleans cooking but we have to limit the amount of spice and fat to make it better for our kids.  This turkey sausage jambalaya recipe is a favorite in our family because it keeps all the delicious flavor but takes a little spice out of this favorite dish!  (Now, if your kids like the spice I’ll tell you how to easily swap one ingredient to put all the spice back into this turkey sausage jambalaya recipe).

During the week I like to make simple quick ONE POT dishes that are lean and wholesome for my family….that’s one reason I love making this turkey sausage jambalaya recipe.  It’s so simple to make….I can have it ready in about 30 minutes and the flavors are amazing!  Little Man gobbles this stuff up and usually asks for seconds!  Of course, I always make extra so Hubs can take it to work later in the week for lunch….this stuff heats back up wonderfully!

Jambalaya calls for dinner sausage in the recipe…I want to clarify that there is a difference between dinner sausage and breakfast sausage.  Dinner sausage is long and comes in a casing where as breakfast sausage is usually loose and can be browned like ground beef.  I like to use Butterball Turkey Sausage (you can get some Butterball coupons here) as my dinner sausage of choice because it is made of 100% turkey, has 60% less fat than beef or pork sausage, and is packed full of flavor….making it a much leaner and more wholesome option for my family.

This is a great recipe for cooking with kids.  I’ll prep the food by going ahead and chopping all of the ingredients and then I’ll call Little Man into the kitchen so he can help out and enjoy the fun.  I’m an avid believer that kids should be in the kitchen! Learning to cook (even as early as age 2) can be such a great bonding experience with your child.  Not only does it help them learn how to behave in the kitchen (like not touching the stove or backing away from the oven when mom opens it) but it really helps boost their own self esteem.  When you allow your toddler to help out in the kitchen (someplace we normally view as dangerous for little hands) you’re telling your child that you trust them and believe they are capable of following the rules of the kitchen.  Little Man loves helping out in the kitchen and he always listens when I give him tasks to complete….now, you do have to make the tasks simple but think of the long term effect here….one day they’ll be able to cook a whole meal without your help!  As it is right now my 2 year old even helps unload the dishwasher, puts the silverware away, and even sweeps the floor….all because I encourage him to be a helper in the kitchen….he does the chores so he can do the fun stuff….like cooking!

Okay, ready for this super yummy and flavorful Turkey Sausage Jambalaya Recipe?  Now, if you want the extra kick of spiciness then just switch out the Butterball Polska Kielbasa Turkey Sausage for Butterball Hot & Spicy Red Pepper Turkey Sausage.

Ingredients:

1 Green Bell Pepper chopped

4 Cloves Fresh Garlic chopped (about 1/4 cup)

2 Medium Sweet Onions chopped

2 Medium Tomatoes chopped

1 Cup Chopped Ham

1 Package Butterball Everyday Polska Kielbasa Turkey Sausage chopped into 1/4 inch pieces. (Remember, if you want a spicy jambalaya then switch this to the Butterball Everyday Hot & Spicy Red Pepper Turkey Sausage.)

2 Cups Rice

2 Cups Chicken Broth

3 Cups Water

1 TBS Chili Powder

1 8oz Can Tomato Sauce

1 TBS Oregano Dash Salt & Pepper

1 TBS Butter

Directions:

In a large dutch oven melt the butter.

Add in chopped green pepper, onion, and garlic.

Sautee pepper, onion, and garlic for about  5 minutes or until onion starts to turn clear.

Add in chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and Butterball polska kielbasa turkey sausage.

Sautee for 10 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, and rice.

Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat until rice is tender and liquid has completely evaporated.

*When cooking with children I always chop the ingredients ahead of time and place in bowls.  Then when it’s time to add each ingredient we pull a stool up to the stove and under direct supervision I allow Little Man to carefully pour each ingredient into the pot.  Make sure that the stove temperature is set to low and help guide little hands so they don’t get burned or allow for any hot ingredients to splash back up out of the pot.  It does take a little bit longer and few more dirty dishes to cook with a toddler but the payoff can be so rewarding!

Check out more delicious Butterball recipes here!

What recipe do you usually make using dinner sausage that you’d like to sub with Butterball Turkey Sausage?