I love this. Rich, hearty, and it’s super easy to make with lots of different ingredients you may have on hand. I’ve made this jumbalaya many different ways — fresh green beans, parsnip, daikon radish, spinach, parsley, experiment with your veggies and find different combinations you love. The below ingredient list is a great base and guaranteed to taste amazing. Also note that you can use canned beans for a quicker dish, but I prefer to use a mixture of dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked longer with the other ingredients. The longer process creates that more saturated, slightly spiced “jumbalaya” flavor.
Ingredients
3 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 yellow onions, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped *optional
5-6 carrots, chopped
4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 c. brown lentils
3/4 c. black beans
1 c. white beans
1 c. kidney beans
2-3 c. water
1 large can diced tomatoes
4-5 zucchinis, quartered and sliced 1/2″ thick
2 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh basil
Directions
The night before — mix the dried lentils, black, white, and kidney beans in a large bowl and cover generously with water. (The beans will expand a bit as they soak, so add enough water to allow for the rise. Let soak overnight or at least 8 hours. After soaking, drain beans and rinse well. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot and sauté garlic 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped onion and sauté 5 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Add carrots and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the broth, water, chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and add the dried bean mixture. Cook for 20 minutes, then add zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally until beans are tender. You can add more liquid if needed to cover beans. The timing for this dish is super flexible. I tend to cook as long as possible, 2-3 hours, so all the flavors become incredibly saturated, creating a rich, hearty, almost spicy flavor. The most important part — test the larger beans to ensure they’re tender before removing from heat. (If short on time, you can omit the lentils, and instead use canned white, black, and kidney beans, adding them at the same time as the zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, and cook the mixture for about 30-40 minutes total. The flavor is much lighter but still delicious.)
Once cooked, remove from heat and serve. I serve this dish as is or with a spoonful of thick greek yogurt on top if in the mood for a creamier texture. Allow the jumbalaya to cool before storing in the fridge or freezing. Enjoy!
