This hearty Turkey Gumbo with Andouille Sausage is packed with creole flavors! This authentic gumbo recipe is the ultimate comfort food dish. Loaded with turkey, Cajun sausage and veggies in a tasty broth. This easy Gumbo recipe is the perfect way to use your leftover turkey from the holidays!
This delicious Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping is a great way to use your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!
The first time I ate Gumbo was at an Emeril’s restaurant. To say I thought I died and went to heaven is an understatement! I had no idea that one day I was going to move to the south and learn how to make homemade gumbo from the locals.
✔️ Turkey Gumbo
To my surprise, turkey Gumbo is very easy to make and incredibly satisfying. Of course, if you don’t have any leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can certainly use cooked chicken and make the absolute best Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. Both recipes are the same!
Making this gumbo takes a bit of time, it’s not a 30-minute meal. The roux takes some love and caring and the stew needs some “stewing” but the flavors are unbelievable! Creamy, buttery, bold with a tiny kick from the sausage, overall magical if you ask me. This is like a Southern unicorn guys!
🔎 What’s The Difference Between Gumbo and Jambalaya?
✔️ Gumbo vs Jambalaya
Gumbo is a thickened soup or stew traditionally served over rice while Jambalaya is a rice dish. Although both dishes are made with similar ingredients (Andouille sausage, chicken, turkey, duck, seafood, etc.), the cooking process and end results are completely different.
✔️ Gumbo Ingredients
Gumbo soup can be made with many different proteins and be equally delicious. For exact amounts, check the printable recipe card below.
- Turkey: Cooked turkey, white and/or dark meat, shredded (this is a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers). You can also use cooked chicken or duck, shredded.
- Andouille Sausage: This smoked sausage explodes with flavor! Some are spicier and some are not, but they are all tasty. If you can’t find Andouille sausage, the best substitute is Kielbasa.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour. This is a basic ingredient to make the brown roux.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter as it gives me better control of the overall saltiness of the dish.
- Onions, Celery and Bell Peppers: This vegetable combination is known as the holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cuisine. Think of it as the Louisiana version of the famous French trinity “mirepoix” of onions, celery and carrots.
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic.
- Stock or Broth: You can use chicken or turkey broth or stock.
- Diced Tomatoes: I use canned diced tomatoes, undrained.
- Scallions: Sliced for garnishing.
- Seasonings and Spices: Worcestershire sauce, dried oregano, dried thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Rice: Cooked rice for serving.
🔎 How To Make Gumbo?
For detailed instructions, please check the printable recipe card below.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Add the Andouille sausage and cook until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining butter to the pot and when melted, gradually whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is a deep milk chocolate brown color.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender.
- Gradually add the stock, stirring until combined. Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
- Return the Andouille sausage to the pot, cover and simmer.
- Stir in the shredded turkey (or chicken); cover and cook until heated through, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Serve the gumbo over hot cooked rice, if desired, and top with scallions.
✔️ The Most Important Part Of A Gumbo Recipe: The Roux!
🔎 What’s a Roux?
- A roux is simply the mixture of equal parts of fat (in this case the butter and the Andouille sausage drippings) and flour. Roux is used as a thickening agent to make gravies, stews, sauces and soups.
✔️ Brown Roux For Gumbo
Instead of shades of gray (ahem), we are going to talk about shades of roux. The longer you cook a roux, the darker it will get. Usually when we make mac and cheese, we make a quick “pale blond roux” however, the secret to a great gumbo is a darker roux.
A Gumbo roux should look like chocolate milk! This takes patience but it’s completely worth it. To make a good brown roux all you need is time. You need to stir the roux and watch over it to make sure it doesn’t get too dark too fast.
If you are a visual person like me, check all these shades of roux!
What Does Gumbo Mean?
Some believe the word Gumbo has West African roots and derives from the Bantu word for okra, “kingombo”.
What To Serve With Turkey Gumbo?
Whether you are having turkey gumbo, seafood gumbo or sausage gumbo, a big pot of fluffy rice is a must. Cornbread, biscuits or dinner rolls are also a good side dish option.
✔️ Make Ahead, Storing And Freezing
- The brown roux can be made 3-4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable bag.
- Turkey Gumbo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Gumbo freezes well for up to 2-3 months (without any rice). Thaw in the fridge overnight.
🔪 Gumbo
- Although the word Gumbo can be traced back to a West African word for “okra”, not all Gumbos are made with okra.
- Cajun Gumbo is usually thickened with a French roux introduced by Cajuns from Louisiana. Other Gumbo thickeners are file powder made from dried and ground sassfras leaves and the okra plant. These two thickeners are considerd creole because of their origins (Africans and native Americans).
Turkey Gumbo Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have any leftover turkey, you can use rotisserie chicken (shredded) or any shredded chicken.
- Don’t get rid of the andouille sausage drippings, they are needed to make the roux. The combination of both butter and the drippings is essential for getting a darker shade of roux without burning it.
- Make stock from your Thanksgiving turkey carcass, then use the flavorful stock to make your turkey gumbo!
Here are a few turkey leftover recipes for you:
- Chicken A La King (use turkey instead of chicken!)
Turkey Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, (about 4 ¼ ounces)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups chicken stock or turkey stock
- 1 (14.5-ounces) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 – 5 cups leftover cooked turkey meat or cooked chicken meat, shredded, (both white and dark meat can be used)
To Garnish
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
To Serve
- Hot cooked white rice,, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
- Add the Andouille sausage into the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, reserving the drippings in the pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the remaining butter to the pot. Gradually whisk in the flour; and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is a deep milk chocolate brown color, about 8-10 minutes (it can take longer if you are carefully cooking the roux over low heat). Be vigilant about stirring and paying attention to what is going on in the pot. If at any point you feel the roux is browning too fast, turn the heat down to low.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.
- Gradually add the stock, stirring until combined. Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Return the Andouille sausage to the pot, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded turkey (or chicken); cover and cook until heated through, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Serve the gumbo over hot cooked rice, if desired, and top with scallions.
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