RECIPE: Jambalaya from Universal’s Mardi Gras

Every spring, Universal Orlando Resort joins in on celebrating 💜💚💛 MARDI GRAS! 💛💚💜 

Universal Studios Florida revels in the festivities with all the scrumptious Cajun and Creole food (even more so this year with international dishes from carnavals worldwide), colorful parade floats, a whole lot of beads, and entertainment with festive performers and music featuring jazz and zydeco tunes you’d hear in NOLA.

If you aren’t able to celebrate Mardi Gras with us in person this year, then bring the party home with one of the park’s classic recipes, jambalaya. This dish is jam-packed with flavor (just look at that ingredients list below!) and happens to be one of my favorite things to eat in the parks. And now, you and I don’t have to wait for Fat Tuesday to roll around every year to indulge in a bowl.

Your Shopping List:

• ¾ cups andouille sausage
• ¼ cup tasso ham
• 1 cup chicken
• ½ cup of bay shrimp
• ¼ cup white onion
• ¼ cup celery
• ⅛ cup green peppers
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 cup tomato
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp tabasco sauce
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup black-eyed peas
• ¾ cup white rice
• Salt to taste

Time to Cook:

• I recommend prepping all of your ingredients beforehand so you can easily throw them in as the dish cooks. This includes chopping all the veggies, mincing garlic (unless you buy the pre-chopped garlic in a jar), chopping the meat into bite-sized pieces, getting your measuring cups and spoons laid out, etc. But hey, you do you.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cooking pot or skillet over medium heat. Chop and add the andouille sausage and tasso ham and sauté until crisp.
• Once the sausage and ham are crisp, mix in the chopped onions, celery, green peppers, and minced garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add in your chicken and cook for another 7 minutes.
• The next part is where it really starts to smell good. Add in the tomato, tomato puree, salt to taste, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, tabasco sauce, chicken stock, and black-eyed peas. Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Once it’s boiling, toss in the bay shrimp and white rice and stir well. Cover with the lid and bring the temp down to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Serve warm and enjoy! (Kudos to you if you also have some crawfish to boil and top your plate.)

Remember, if you have a food allergy (like shellfish) or a diet preference (like no pork), you can exclude that ingredient and adjust the cooking directions as needed.

Cook me somethin’ mister! Let us know how your jambalaya turns out on Twitter @UniversalORL and Instagram @UniversalOrlando and find more recipes for your favorite Universal dishes here.