Similarities: All three are considered to be main dishes in Cajun cuisine. They all use the holy trinity of vegetables: onion, celery, and bell pepper. Differences: Jambalaya is a dish that consists of meat, vegetables, and rice. It's all cooked together to form one cohesive dish. Gumbo is a mixture of meat and/or shellfish with vegetables in a thickened stock that's served alongside rice. Gumbo, however, more closely resembles soup than gravy. Etouffée is one type of shellfish that is mixed with a sauce that closely resembles a gravy and that mixture smothers rice. Creole vs. Cajun food