Gumbo is classic Louisiana comfort food, but it can be a bit of a labor of love. Roux takes a long time to make, and if you take your eye off it for one second, it can burn quite quickly. The recipe below takes all of the guesswork out of gumbo, with a casserole version that's impossible to screw up.
The garlic bread crust adds a unique flair to this recipe, but even if you leave it out, it'll be delicious.
Some gumbos are loaded with chicken, shrimp and other protein along with sausage, but this one keeps things simple using just spicy andouille sausage. If you can't find andouille, substitute any spicy, smoked sausage you like.
Sausage Gumbo Casserole with Garlic Bread Crust
8
15 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 medium green bell pepper, medium dice
1 small onion, medium dice
1 32-ounce container chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rice, uncooked
1 hefty pinch Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons garlic powder
4 Parkerhouse rolls, halved
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Sauté the sausage, pepper, and onion in a heavy-bottomed pot until tender and slightly browned, about 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the chicken broth and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Slowly drizzle the slurry into the boiling chicken broth mixture.
Add the rice, Cayenne pepper, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the mixture from the heat pour into a baking dish.
Stir together the butter and the garlic powder.
Place the Parkerhouse rolls on top of the casserole, and brush evenly with the butter mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
