My first time cooking gumbo was definitely an interesting one. I’m a Michigan girl, born and raised an hour north of Detroit, so I’m pretty sure it can go without saying that gumbo wasn’t a dish that was frequently whipped up in my household growing up. I recently traveled to New Orleans (twice last October!) and fell in love with the creamy creole goodness that is gumbo. We’ve been through what seemed like 365 days of January, a snow storm, and then a cold, wet rain/sleet mixture, so naturally I’ve been reminiscing back to warm New Orleans and felt the need to recreate the gumbo that I grew so fond of.

Disclaimer: Let me just remind you that this was my first attempt at making gumbo, so there were most certainly a fair amount of mistakes made (man, that roux is tricky!). I have faith that the next attempt will be even better!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups (gluten-free) flour
• 1 1/2 cups oil – We used canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups (4 whole) sliced chicken andouille sausage
• 2 quarts gluten-free chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, cayenne peper, creole spice
• 2 cups shredded cooked turkey meat
• Steamed rice
• Large soup pot

Now, here’s what you need to do:

1. Make your roux: In your large soup pot, heat oil and GF flour together over LOW heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until it becomes a nice, dark brown color. This is where I messed up – I didn’t stir long enough before moving to step 2, so my roux was a more golden brown color vs. the darker, nutty brown that you’ll typically see. I didn’t notice a flavor profile difference in mine, but the visual just wasn’t the same.
2. Once your roux has gotten pretty fragrant and met the dark brown color of your gumbo dreams, add in the onions, pepper, and celery. Stir frequently for about 4 minutes.
3. Add in your minced garlic and the sliced chicken andouille sausage. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add stock, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper seasoning, and creole seasoning to taste. I added more seasonings to taste over time, so I advise starting with a little bit at first.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
6. Add shredded turkey and simmer 30 more minutes. Feel free to taste test your yummy concoction and add more seasonings at this time.
7. Gumbo gets better as the seasonings expose their flavors over time. Feel free to stop here, or simmer for even longer.
8. Serve over steamed rice.

Enjoy!

This recipe makes A TON of gumbo – I feel like we’ve been eating leftovers for years (I was naughty and made this a week or so ago and haven’t had time to post – sorry!). We’ve been keeping our leftover gumbo stored in our freezer and feel like it’s just as good or better each time we serve it.

I really feel like I went outside of my comfort zone with this recipe since it’s something I typically wouldn’t cook. To be completely honest, before my Celiac diagnosis, a lot of these recipes that I’ve been sharing I wouldn’t have made, but life throws you curveballs and you just have to adapt, right? I know it’s not the healthiest gluten-free meal option out there, but it’s comforting and definitely something we Michiganders need with this yucky weather.

If you try this recipe out, give me a shout – I’d love to see your results and know what you think! Give yourself time and enjoy the process – I know I did 🙂

Until next time, friends.

Bon appétit!