Dutch Oven Jambalaya Camping Recipe

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings: Servings

Camping For Foodies Dinner Camping Recipes: This dinner uses readily available ingredients to make a delicious campsite meal.

6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped (you can substitute a green pepper if you want to be more traditional)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 pound smoked Andouille sausage cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (see Note 1)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 inch cubes (see Note 1)
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1.5 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
3 bay leaves
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 servings cooked long-grain rice

For serving, hot sauce, red pepper flakes or additional spicy creole cooking seasoning, for extra spiciness and salt, to taste

Heat a 12-inch Dutch oven over medium heat using a campfire or camp stove. Melt the butter, then add the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic, cook till softened, stirring frequently.
Add the sausage and chicken, cook till browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, paprika and cayenne pepper. (see Note 2)
Adjust the heat to bring ingredients to a simmer and add the tomato paste, mixing it in thoroughly before adding more ingredients.
Now, pour in the tomatoes with juice and add the bay leaves, then cover with the lid maintaining the pot at a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the shrimp and cook just until it is no longer translucent, about 5 minutes.
Remove bay leaves and serve over cooked rice.

If we have a busy camp trip planned, I prep the meat and veggies for this recipe at home. The meat can be prepped, frozen and stored in freezer bags, then just defrost and cook at the campsite.
This is a family-friendly version of jambalaya that has a rich tomato flavor without a lot of spice. If you have heat lovers in your crowd, serve extra spicy creole seasoning, hot sauce or red pepper flakes on the side so they can increase the spiciness of their own portion of the meal.