Growing up in the northeast, my only experience with gumbo was with the kind you bought in a can at the grocery store. And I loved it! Don’t judge – my tastes are more refined than my 8 year old self – lol!
There was something about that dark, rich sauce studded with bits of chicken, shrimp, or smoked sausage and okra that I adored. Once I got older, I became a huge fan of Emeril Lagasse and all things Creole. I was motivated to make my own Creole dishes with a big BAM! of spices. I read his cookbooks religiously. But many of the dishes were really intimidating – with lots of ingredients.
And that brings me to Easy Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo. My husband travels for work and was in Texas on a job. While there, he had gumbo that he raved about. His friend kindly shared the recipe (A HUGE Texas thank you!) and I absolutely love it! Flavorful and rich, but not crazy complicated. Even better, you can make it the day before and the flavors deepen even more.
So. Good.
The time saver? A roux gumbo mix in a box. Before you protest – I know traditional gumbo uses filé or you make roux from scratch, but y’all, sometimes a girl needs a shortcut.
Customize this recipe with your favorite meats and seafood. I used shrimp and smoked sausage. Chicken, crab, andouille sausage, plant-based proteins – all would work great!
How to Make Easy Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo
Dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the celery, bell pepper, and onion for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent and veggies are softened.
Turn heat to high and add the diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Add the Kary’s Roux mix and 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning. Whisk well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the shrimp, sausage, and frozen okra. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes until thickened.
Serve over rice or noodles with a side of cornbread!
You may want to try this too!
Easy Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 bag 12-16 oz. frozen, sliced okra
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 7 cups water
- 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 lb. smoked sausage sliced
- 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
- 1 box Kary’s Roux Gumbo Mix
Instructions
Instructions:
- Dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the celery, bell pepper, and onion for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent and veggies are softened.
- Turn heat to high and add the diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Add the Kary’s Roux mix and 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning. Whisk well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the shrimp, sausage, and frozen okra. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes until thickened.
- Serve over rice or noodles.