Jambalaya-Stuffed Creole Tomatoes
 
Makes 12
Ingredients
  • 12 Creole tomatoes
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • ½ cup chopped yellow onion
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped celery
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • ½ pound smoked andouille sausage, cubed
  • ½ pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 1⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth, room temperature
  • ¾ cup long-grain rice
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Cut top off each tomato ½ inch from stem; reserve tops. Using a spoon, scoop tomato pulp (about ¾ cup total) into the work bowl of a food processor. Place tomato shells in prepared pan; sprinkle inside of shells with 1 teaspoon salt.
  3. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to tomato pulp; pulse until finely chopped.
  4. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat; add andouille, and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. (Reduce heat to prevent excess browning.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer andouille to a large bowl, reserving drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium.
  5. In a large bowl, toss together shrimp, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Working in batches, add shrimp to pot with drippings, and cook until just pink, 1 to 1½ minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to bowl with andouille; keep warm. Reserve drippings in pot.
  6. Add tomato mixture to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is slightly reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in broth, rice, thyme, bay leaf, and paprika. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°.
  8. Stir parsley, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon black peppser into rice mixture. Return andouille and shrimp to pot. Discard bay leaf. Divide jambalaya among tomato shells. Brush reserved tomato tops with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; loosely place tops on tomatoes.
  9. Bake until filling is golden brown and tomato shells are tender, about 20 minutes.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/jambalaya-stuffed-creole-tomatoes/