Jambalaya Pizza from Yes, It's Me!

What can I say about my absence other than I can't even believe how long it's been. Time flies. To be brief, my plate at work has been more than full lately with a huge acquisition that took place. So in turn, the plates here have been pretty empty. I have been so burnt out that getting on the computer from home was the last thing I wanted to do, even though I have missed coming around to see everyone.

So, please, drop me a quick line letting me know if anything big has gone on with you & I will be by! For now, enjoy some Jambalaya Pizza. I made this way back on Mother's Day when we enjoyed a buffet of appetizers. Any ingredient can be easily substituted. I just LOVED the idea of the cheesy rice crust for this.

JAMBALAYA PIZZA

 

{ Printable Recipe Here }

3 cups cooked long grain rice, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup finely shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1/4 cup each chopped celery, onion & green sweet pepper
1 tblsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup each thinly sliced smoked cooked sausage, diced cooked ham, & coarsely chopped cooked shrimp
1 16-oz. jar chunky salsa, drained
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In large combine rice, eggs & pepper jack cheese. Lightly coat a 12-inch pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread rice mixture evenly in pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.

For topping, in large skillet cook celery, onion & green pepper in hot butter over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic, cayenne, sausage, ham & shrimp. Heat through.

Spread drained salsa over rice crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spread vegetable-meat mixture over salsa. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through & cheese is melted. Cut into square pieces to serve.

{ Food for Thought }

As always, I suggest increasing the garlic to 2 cloves & use olive oil instead of butter when cooking the veggies. I also recommend decreasing your cooking time on the rice crust the 1st time around. Maybe 12-15 minutes when it’s cooking by itself and 10 minutes when it’s covered with all the goodies. If you try to cut this into pizza slices it will be messy & fall apart. Cut into squares for best results.