Description
This flavorful gluten-free gumbo recipe combines sausage, shrimp and veggies with an easy gluten-free roux and rich flavors to make a hearty dinner you won’t want to miss!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced*
- 1/2 cup canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil*
- 2/3 cup gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend*
- 2 cups diced onion (1 large onion)
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper (1 red pepper)
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper (1 green pepper)
- 1 cup diced celery (3-4 stalks)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning* (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 10 ounces okra, sliced (fresh or frozen works!)
- 4 cups chicken broth (I like bone broth)
- 2-3 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and tails removed
- Tabasco (or your favorite hot sauce)
- Fresh parsley or sliced green onions, for serving
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Optional: Brown The Sausage. If desired, you can brown the sausage before starting. This is not an essential step, but does add texture & flavor that some enjoy. To brown sausage, heat a small drizzle of oil in Dutch Oven or large pot and cook sausage 8-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sausage has browned on both sides. Remove sausage to a clean plate and set aside. (I cook this all in the same pan, but if you prefer, you can brown sausage in a separate skillet.)
- Make The Roux. Add oil and gluten-free flour to the Dutch oven or large pot and cook 20-30 minutes over low or medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it’s well browned. The roux should be the color of milky coffee or milk chocolate. You want it to look richly browned but not burned, so you’ll need to stir patiently the entire time until you reach the milky coffee stage. If you’re using butter for your roux (an option for Creole-style gumbo), only cook the flour and butter about 3-5 minutes, until the floury smell has cooked away and the roux is smooth. If you try to cook it till browned, the butter will burn!
- Soften The Veggies. Next, add onion, red and green peppers, and celery and cook 5-10 minutes over medium low heat, stirring regularly to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. (The vegetables will soften slightly but will not cook all the way through.) The roux may look a bit gritty or clumpy at this point–this is normal! Just keep stirring.
- Layer With Flavor. Then, add garlic, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to cook 1 minute more, until fragrant. Next, add the sausage, okra, tomatoes, and broth and stir to combine. Tuck the bay leaves into the stew.
- Simmer. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for at LEAST 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the veggies are tender, the gumbo has thickened, and the rich flavors have had a chance to meld. I recommend simmering at least a full hour if you can, though you can cook it as long as 2-3 hours on a low simmer!
- Finish. Taste the gumbo and add additional Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, or Tabasco to taste. Right before serving, stir the raw shrimp into the gumbo and cook just 1-3 minutes, or until the shrimp are fully cooked through and look plump and pink. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, sliced green onions, or even cilantro (for a non-traditional option).
- Serve & Store. Scoop the gumbo into shallow bowls and serve with fluffy white rice and Tabasco. Store leftover gumbo in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Keep in mind the shrimp’s texture will be impacted by freezing.
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
- Sausage. If you can’t find andouille or it’s too spicy for your family, you can use kielbasa sausage or smoked sausage, and add additional Cajun seasoning, to help bring up the flavor.
- Oil. You can only use neutral oil with a high smoke point here. Olive oil will burn. If you prefer to use butter, use 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and see the different instructions in step 2.
- Flour. To keep this gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 or measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Measure-For-Measure. Do NOT use almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour here. They will not thicken properly and will give this gumbo a coarse, gritty texture.
- Cajun Seasoning. Some popular brands (like Tony Chachere’s) are NOT gluten-free, so double-check before using here! We like McCormick’s Cajun seasoning, which is gluten-free.
Variations:
- Add Chicken. For an extra meaty gumbo, feel free to add 1-2 cups of rotisserie chicken meat along with the tomatoes and broth.
- Skip The Shrimp. If you have a seafood allergy or don’t like shrimp, you can leave it out. Instead, you can add chicken (see above) or add 1/2 pound more sausage to the gumbo.
Cooking Tips:
- Want Thicker Gumbo? To thicken this gumbo to suit your preferences, you can use less broth, add 1-2 teaspoons file powder, or simmer uncovered to reduce the gumbo.
- Roux Tips. Always use caution when working with hot oil! Stir CONSTANTLY and patiently for a full 20-30 minutes on LOW or MEDIUM-LOW heat, or until the roux is a milk chocolate or milky coffee brown color. That deep brown color = flavor! (If using butter, see tips above to adjust the recipe.)
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup gumbo
- Calories: 297
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 547.9 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.5 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 19.1 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg