Oven Baked Jambalaya

I found this recipe online and it is sooooo good. It is wonderful for a potluck event as it feeds about 16 people!


1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, diced
2 large bell peppers (whatever color you like), chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 bay leaves (I used 6)
3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning Blend
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I used one of those and one can petite diced tomatoes)
7 cups chicken stock
3 cups chopped cooked ham
3 cups cooked andouille sausage, sliced
3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen cooked shrimp

(I used chicken and sausage only)

4 cups uncooked long-grain white rice



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Melt butter in large stock pot. Saute onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until tender, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add tomato paste and cook to brown slightly, stirring constantly.

Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning blend and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour into a large roasting pan.
Squeeze tomatoes to break up into pieces, and add to mixture in pan. Stir in juice from tomatoes, chicken stock, ham, sausage, chicken, shrimp and rice. Mix well.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through baking time (I did not stir it to let the rice settle). Remove bay leaves before serving.