Rice Cooker Cabbage Jambalaya

 

A cozy bowl of rice cooker cabbage jambalaya with tender rice, soft cabbage, savory tomatoes, and ground beef or sausage, all fluffed together into a comforting one‑pot meal.

A Cozy, Cabbage‑Forward One‑Pot Meal

I had a half pound of already cooked ground beef and a large wedge of cabbage I needed to use up so thought it'd be a great time to make this rice cooker jambalaya. There’s something deeply comforting about a cabbage rice dish that cooks itself while you go about your day.

This Rice Cooker Cabbage Jambalaya is one of those humble, weeknight miracles - the kind of recipe that tastes like it simmered all afternoon even though the rice cooker did all the work. The cabbage softens into the rice, the tomatoes melt down into a savory broth, and the ground beef or sausage seasons everything from the inside out.

It’s cozy, unfussy, and very Gulf Coast in spirit.

Russet potatoes, peeled and cut up, smothered with onion, smoked sausage and Rotel tomatoes and cooked in a rice cooker.

Rice Cooker Smothered Potatoes

Rice cookers may be a bit old school, but believe it or not, they're still a thing down here and for the most part, it's an appliance that is completely uncomplicated.

One simple "start" button is usually all there is to them!

You press it, it cooks your rice, kicks over to warm when your rice is done, and it actually holds the rice for a long time. As far as timing goes, it's really going to depend on your cooker, so holding on to that product manual is key to timing for the rest of your dinner.

Rice and a trinity of veggies are first sauteed in butter, then simmered in chicken stock for a wonderful rice side dish that is just as good for pork, as it is for chicken, shrimp, fish, or beef.

Cajun Rice Pilaf

This is one of my favorite ways to jazz up some plain rice for a nice side dish. I throw it all in my rice cooker (#ad) and let it manage the rest, but if you don't own one yet, it can be done right on the stovetop just as you would do regular rice.

The rice is first sauteed in the pan just until it begins to lightly brown and then simmered in stock or broth as for a pilaf, but I won't tell if you just dump it all in together either. To be honest it works either way and I certainly do both depending on how lazy I'm feeling at the time. Without sauteing the veggies and rice, the texture is a bit more puffy than pictured, but it's all good!

Cajun Shrimp Pilau (Pilaf) - Rice Cooker

A quick and easy main dish shrimp and browned rice dish, great for the rice cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop.

Cajun Shrimp Pilaf

With rice a predominant menu feature in this part of The Deep South, rice cookers of some form are very common in the southern coastal states, or at least they were until these fancy electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot showed up, which is how I make this recipe these days.

A pilau, or pilaf, is very much like a jambalaya, except that the rice is first browned. To that seasonings, broth vegetables and a protein, in this case shrimp, are added.