Crock Pot Spicy Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Easy Crock Pot 

Spicy Smoked Sausage Gumbo

So Good!

MMM, MMM Good!

I saw a post on Pinterest for Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage Gumbo, courtesy of Judy and her blog,  The Southern Lady Cooks. It had been years since I 'tried' to make gumbo and from what I remembered, it was a bit labor intensive (well at least for us non-cooks). But this recipe seemed so simple and Judy's blog post pic looked really good. Did I mention it looked good? It did! And since it's been hot, using the crock pot seemed like a really good alternative to having the range on for several hours.

What is gumbo? According to Wikipedia: Gumbo is a stew or soup that probably originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It typically consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoning vegetables, which can include celery, bell peppers, and onions (a trio known in Cajun cuisine as the "holy trinity"). Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used: the African vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo).

The following is my version of Judy's Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage Gumbo, tweaked to add a bit of spice or you can get the original recipe by following the link above.

Get out your crock pot, your large soup bowls, pour a glass of wine and

Let's Try It!

Ingredients (makes 3 1/2 - 4 qts.):

• 2 (14 oz.) packages Hot Smoked Beef Sausage, sliced to desired thickness (I used Hillshire Farms)
• 2 small green peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/basil, oregano, garlic
• 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/green chilies (I used Rotel)
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 (12 oz.) packages frozen chopped okra or you can use fresh if available
• 1 1/2 (14.5 oz.) can low sodium, low fat chicken broth
• 3/4 c. minute rice
• 1 1/2 tsp.  ground cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground sage
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 c. water

Directions:

 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage, green peppers & onion in olive oil (about 15 minutes). Add mixture to a large crock pot (5 - 6 qt.).

2. Add diced tomatoes, celery, okra, chicken broth to crock pot. Stir to mix.

3. Add rice, pepper, mustard, paprika, sage, cumin, thyme, parsley, bay leaves & water. Stir thoroughly to combine. 

4. Cover & cook on high for 2 hours, stir & change to low and continue cooking for 3 hours or taste to desired level of doneness. Stir occasionally to blend flavors, but DO NOT leave crock pot lid off for any length of time!

Serve with some crusty, hot bread (I used sourdough round boule's). Enjoy!