Tennessee Valley Casserole

Tennessee Valley Casserole–an easy Instant Pot recipe with rice, chicken, ham, tomatoes, bell peppers and seasonings.

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Tennessee Valley Casserole

Today’s recipe has lots of yummy flavor and is an easy one pot meal. With only a 5 minute pressure cooking time and a bit of prep you’ll be eating dinner in no time. This dinner freezes well and it is gluten free and dairy free.

I have adapted this recipe from Tennessee Valley Jambalaya on Lodge Cast Iron. The recipe has a fun backstory. “This recipe, contributed by Joseph Lodge’s great-grandson, John Richard ‘Dick’ Lodge, Jr., was created for a monthly dinner party. When their friend, Phil Bredesen, was elected governor of Tennessee in the fall of 2002, four appointees to his Cabinet, including Dick’s wife, Gina, became good friends. Those four Cabinet members thought it would be fun to get together with spouses for an informal supper once a month, said Dick Lodge. When our time came to cook, I suggested jambalaya. That suggestion was well received—except that one of our friends is allergic to shrimp. So, I tinkered with a cookbook recipe, substituting country ham for shrimp. Thus was born Tennessee Valley Jambalaya. Our group of eight friends still meets for supper.”

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Canola oil–or olive oil
• Onion–yellow, white
• Ham–or smoked sausage
• Red bell pepper–or green bell pepper
• Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Dried thyme leaves
• Garlic powder
• Chili powder
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Dried parsley
• Converted rice–or long grain white rice
• Cooked, chopped chicken–I used rotisserie chicken and it was frozen
• Diced tomatoes–I used petite diced tomatoes

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the onion and ham. Saute for about 3 minutes.

Add in the bell pepper and saute for 2 more minutes. 

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.

Stir in the thyme, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper and parsley. Sprinkle in the rice.

Dump chicken and tomatoes on top of rice and don’t stir.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. 

Stir. Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• Serve with green beans, collard greens or spinach salad.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with dried thyme leaves are Missouri Casserole and Marie Osmond’s Chicken.
• What is converted/parboiled rice? Don’t confuse converted rice (or sometimes it is called parboiled rice) with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice. Sometimes I buy it at Winco in the bulk section. I have also found it in the orange box (Ben’s brand) next to other rices.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.