How Many People Can You Feed With An 8-Ounce Box Of Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a rice-based dish that's cooked in broth and features the "holy trinity" of ingredients: celery, bell pepper, and onion. The dish also features Creole season and one or more proteins — chicken, sausage, and shrimp are all commonly used. Daily Meal's Creole-style jambalaya features both chicken and smoked sausage, for example, along with all of the other key ingredients. While making this dish yourself will certainly yield the best results — as is true with just about any dish — sometimes we don't have time to start from scratch. For situations like this, there's boxed jambalaya.

A typical box of jambalaya (such as the one from the popular brand Zatarain's) is 8 ounces and contains everything you need for the dish minus the protein (which you add in). It's an easy way to whip up a batch of jambalaya without having to gather all of the ingredients and go through all the steps yourself. But, how many people can you feed with an eight-ounce box of jambalaya?

According to a box of Zatariain's, one 8-ounce box contains five servings, with each serving being about one cup after it's cooked. If your family is smaller than five people, then this box should be enough for everyone, and you may even be able to increase the portion sizes.

If you're feeding a bigger crowd, then your best bet is probably to buy the "family size" version of the box, which is 12 ounces and contains eight servings. However, you may find yourself in a situation where you want to make the most out of an eight ounce box — maybe you want to ensure you have leftovers or maybe you're serving six people and don't want to have to buy a bigger box. In these cases, there are ways to make the eight-ounce box a bit more filling.

Firstly, use more than two or even three proteins instead of one. If you need inspiration, you can look to our recipe for a hearty jambalaya, which uses three proteins: chicken breast, shrimp, and chorizo. You can also throw in extra vegetables — try doubling the amount of bell pepper or onion or add in veggies that aren't normally included in jambalaya, such as broccoli, mushrooms, or green beans. This could also be the perfect way to make use of any veggies that have been sitting in your fridge.

Finally, you can whip up a simple salad to serve on the side — perhaps a classic Caesar salad. With a side dish, you may be able to lessen the portion sizes of the jambalaya.