It’s hard to improve upon a classic like jambalaya. But we do love to sneak in as many veggies into our diet as possible. So we came up with a fun and nutrient-packed way to enjoy this Louisiana classic. We used it as a filling for our Vegan Jambalaya Collard Green Wraps!
Fun Fact: Did you know that collard greens have 18% more calcium and twice the protein and iron per serving compared to kale?!
⚜️WHAT IS JAMBALAYA?
Jambalaya is a popular one-pot, rice-based dish from Louisiana. It traditionally contains meat and/or seafood. Like most Cajun/Creole dishes, jambalaya begins by sautéing the Louisiana “Holy Trinity” of onions, celery, and bell peppers. After that, you add garlic, diced tomatoes, herbs, seasonings (vegan Worcestershire sauce, Cajun/Creole seasoning, and Tabasco sauce), vegetable broth, bay leaves, and a bouillon cube in succession. After bringing the concoction to a boil, you reduce to a simmer and let those big, bold, spicy flavors develop.
Being from Texas, we are no strangers to Cajun/Creole cuisine. Louisiana is our next-door neighbor, and the state’s rich food culture has spread its delicious tentacles into the Lone Star State. We veganized our favorite recipe for this Louisiana classic recently.
And after digging in, Mani remarked that it reminded him of Spanish paella and West African jollof rice. He did some internet sleuthing, and found that jambalaya has its roots in Spanish paella, as well as French pilau. This was not a surprise because Louisiana was a colony of both Spain and France. In addition, jambalaya also has West African and Native American influence. In short, Mani’s impressions of our vegan jambalaya were not wrong! His research sums up why flavors from the Bayou State are so varied and exciting.
In keeping with the southern theme, collard greens were the perfect healthy food delivery vessels for our vegan jambalaya.
💡RECIPE TIPS
Traditionally, jambalaya contains meat and/or seafood. We simply used vegan sausage and red beans for our protein instead. Andouille sausage—which is a smoked Cajun sausage—is traditional, but we think the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausages come closest in flavor (yes, even more so than Tofurky’s vegan andouille).
If you would prefer a more whole foods version of this recipe, simply substitute another can of beans for the vegan sausage. We’ve used a combinations of pinto and garbanzo beans for our protein, and it was just as delicious. Feel free to use any bean of your choosing, though.
Our favorite Cajun seasoning is the Slap Ya Mama brand. (Look, we didn’t come up with the name of this seasoning brand. The idea, we think, is that the seasoning is so good, it may disorient you to the point of slapping your own mom. Okay…never mind.) We use this seasoning for our recipe, but another brand like Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning would work just fine.
We also throw in a vegan chicken bouillon cube and vegan Worcestershire sauce for added depth of flavor. Edward & Sons is our favorite brand of vegan bouillon cubes. If you can’t find vegan Worcestershire sauce, you can substitute soy sauce or tamari.
Make sure to thoroughly wash your collard green leaves well. They can be sandy or gritty. Also note that collard greens have thick stems. After cutting off the stems of each leaf, you will need to thinly shave the the remaining stems at their base. You can use either a pairing knife or potato peeler for this task. This step will help make your collard green leaves more pliable for wrapping.
Enjoy!
-Val & Mani
🎉 DID YOU MAKE OUR VEGAN JAMBALAYA COLLARD GREEN WRAPS?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE VEGAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
Vegan Jambalaya Collard Green Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb vegan sausage sliced (we used Field Roast Mexican chipotle flavor)
- 1 14.5 oz can red beans, drained
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning We use the Slap Ya Mama brand
- 1 onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper pith removed and diced
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½-1 teaspoon teaspoon Tabasco
- 2 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups uncooked white rice short grain or long grain
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 vegan chicken bouillon cube
- 2 bay leaves
- Sliced green onions to garnish
- 12 collard green leaves washed throughly
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the sausage. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté the onion until golden brown. Add bell pepper and celery and cook 1 minute. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole/Cajun seasoning. Add in the sausage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rice, bouillon cube, bay leaves and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium. Cover and let simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, while stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with green onions. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, place collard green leaves on a cutting board and cut off the large stems at the base. Then use a pairing knife or potato peeler, thinly shave along the remaining stem at the base of the collard green to thin until pliable. (This will make the rolling process easier).
- Place a collard green leaf on a cutting board and top with 3-4 tablespoon of jambalaya, depending on the size of the leaf.
- Roll one end of collard leaf over the filling lengthwise. Then fold the ends in, roll again, and place wrap seam-side down on a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining collard leaves and fillings. Enjoy!
This jambalaya had it ALL. Super yummy for meal prep.
The Field Roast sausages you guys recommended was bomb in this recipe.