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And I really do mean secret.
Or at least it was before today anyway, but it’s time to share this recipe.
We’d be selfish if we didn’t. And I say we because I asked Mrs. Mooney about sharing this recipe way back when I started the blog. Not sure why I took so long to share it, but here it is. Just in time for Mardi Gras too!
I know I have talked about Mrs. Mooney before, but this is one of her tried and true recipes that is truly and utterly amazing. Every single time I make this gumbo my family says, over and over again, how good it is.
The reason this recipe is a secret? Well… sorry, that has to remain a secret, but at least you get the recipe.
I cannot actually remember the first time I tried Mrs. Mooney’s gumbo, but I sure do remember the first time I ever made it.
I was pretty young, maybe fourteen or fifteen and I was so nervous. I remember having no idea what a roux was and I was totally freaking out that if I burned it, I would then have to start all over again. Not only that, I actually had to sit and stir the roux for forty-five minutes and not walk away. Like not even take my eyes off the pot for more than fifteen seconds at a time. Yeah, I was scared.
I still remember sending photos of the roux throughout out the process to Mrs. Mooney, just to make sure things where looking good and I was not screwing everything up. Just about every other minute I thought I had burned the roux and needed to start over.
And geez, when I finally got the roux to the color needed and I added the veggies? Yikes. Everything bubbled up and made noise. Loud sizzling noises. I thought for sure I screwed it up there too, but it turns out that is totally normal.
FYI, Mrs Mooney spent practically the entire hour or so it took me to make this on the phone with me talking me through every step. I may not have ever gone to cooking school, but at least I have Mrs. Mooney, and really, that’s better. If you knew her, you would agree.
Long story short, the gumbo got made, turned out better than I ever thought it could and in five years of making her gumbo I have yet to burn the roux. YES.
Although, I still get a little nervous every time I make the gumbo. Old habits die hard.
If you are wondering, a roux is flour and butter, bacon fat and flour or in this case, oil and flour. You mix together the flour and oil and cook it over the stove to help thicken and flavor things like sauces, soups and stews. If you have ever made mac and cheese than you have made a roux.
As Mrs. Mooney says, “The roux is the heart and soul of this recipe. If you burn it, start over and do not take your eyes off of it.”
I know it may sound scary, but it is honestly a super easy recipe and I scaled her original recipe down by half because the original recipe literally fed like sixteen people, so the roux took more like forty-five to sixty minutes to cook. This one will take thirty minutes tops because there is less to cook.
Here is my little tip. Grab a stool, turn the TV on if you can or grab your phone. Then glue your butt to that seat right in front of the stove. Seriously, I am not messing around when I say that you have to whisk the roux every fifteen to twenty-five seconds. It is mandatory.
You know the roux is done when it turns a deep dark caramel or peanut butter color. I let mine go pretty dark because I think the darker the better, but just make sure you are not burning it.
Oh, and it is also mandatory to have all your ingredient prepped and ready to go before you start making the roux. Trust me, it helps so much.
Okay, with all that said, please do not get scared off. I promise this recipe is very easy and simple to make. Once the roux is made all you need to do is let the gumbo simmer for a few hours. I let mine cook low and slow all day long. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor.
You must serve this over rice because rice is just the best, it is also very traditional. Beer bread is also delicious with it, but technically not traditional. BUT – you would be a little crazy not to serve it with some bread. Just sayin.
Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 698 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 1 large green pepper diced
- 1 large yellow pepper diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced or grated
- 1 onion diced (optional, original recipe does not call for it)
- 1 ounce large can diced tomatoes 14, I like to use fire roasted
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning rounded
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (less if you do not want it too hot more if you do)
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 8 cups chicken broth two 1 quart cartons
- 1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage sliced + halved again into half circles (NO substitutions)
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs may sub chicken breast if desired
- file powder for serving
- white rice for serving
- beer bread for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the chopped peppers (red, green and orange), chopped celery, garlic and onion, if using (I typically leave the onion out). Set aside.
- In a small to medium size bowl combine the oregano, thyme, basil, creole seasoning, chili powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Set aside.
- Before you begin the next step, make sure you have completed steps 1 and 2. It is very important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready go.
- Grab a seat. No literally, grab a sit. You cannot walk away from the roux over the next 20-30 minutes. Heat a large heavy bottom soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the canola oil and flour to the pot and whisk to combine. Stir the roux EVERY 15-25 SECONDS. You will be able to smell the flour starting to brown. Continue to gently brown flour without burning it until the mixture turns the color of peanut butter or a dark caramel. This can take 30 minutes or so but it is the heart of the recipe. If you burn it, start over. This time just keep stirring and keep an eye on it! It took me 25 minutes to achieve a dark peanut butter color.
- Once you have your roux made, add all your vegetables (everything in the bowl). The roux will bubble and thicken up immediately into a paste which coats the vegetables. Let the veggies cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes or so. Sprinkle spice mixture over the vegetables, stir and cook 3-5 minutes longer.
- Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, chicken thighs and sausage to the pot. Bring the gumbo to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for at least 3 hours or up to all day (the longer the better for flavors to blend). The gumbo should be the consistency of stew. If too much of the liquid evaporates add water to thin and if there is too much liquid leave the top off the soup and cook 30 minutes longer. Once the meat has cooked through, skim fat from top and lightly shred the chicken. Serve over rice and sprinkle with file powder (sassafras powder) if you have it. [Beer Bread | https://fett-weg.today/5-ingredient-beer-bread/] is great with this meal!
Oh and gumbo kicks Monday in the butt.
HEY GUYS, I NEED YOUR HELP!!
Better Homes and Gardens has nominated Half Baked Harvest as one of the top 5 Food: Family/Everyday Eats blogs. Between now and March 5 voting will take place to decide who is number one. Here’s the catch, you can vote every HOUR until 3/5/14. I would be so appreciative if you could take the time to check out all the bloggers and vote for your favorite… as often as you can between now and then. Thanks for all your support, you guys are why I love doing what I do! VOTE HERE
This post was originally published on February 24, 2014
I followed this recipe exactly and it was the perfect balance of meat and veggies. The sauce thickened very well too. We ended up using leftovers for lunches and we both felt that it tasted even better heated up. I’m always on board with a recipe like that. We’re making this gumbo specifically for lunches this week!
Hey Katie,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This is soooo good and I grew up on good Louisiana gumbo. Can you substitute seafood for the chicken with this bas? Or would you just add to it?
Hey Beth,
I am so thrilled that you have enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for making it:) You could totally do seafood in place of the chicken. xTieghan
I just made this recipe out of the Super Simple book and it’s wonderful! I looked this up to send to a friend and noticed that you have 8 cups broth on the site and 6 cups in the book. 6 cups seems like plenty.
Hey Owen,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Hi! I couldn’t find fresh sausage- only cooked sausage. Can I still use? If so, when should I add it?
Hey Lynn,
Yes, that would be fine to use, just add towards the end so it can warm through. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We had no success tonight because our instapot kept giving the burn warning. We stopped the cooking twice and discovered the roux had clumped on the bottom. The second time we tried using the steamer grate but the result was the same. Any suggestions?
Hey Cynthia,
So sorry about this, I have never experienced the burn message so I am not sure what could have happened here. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi Teigen! I want to make this for Christmas dinner for a large party. Do You think it’s safe to double it?
Thank you!
Tawny
Hey Tawny,
Yes! You can double, just make sure you have a large enough pot. I hope you love the recipe! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Love this recipe! Making it this Friday evening to comfort me through the weekend.
Is this recipe freezable? It makes a lot more than I’m able to finish and I hate to waste.
Hey Sydney,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, yes you can easily freeze this! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi– I don’t eat pork. What spices can I use to get the flavor of the andouille? I have tofu and mushrooms if that helps. Thanks.
Hey Xan,
I would just add the mushrooms to the recipe! Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
I know you once had directions for this in the instant pot, where can I find that? I had great success with those directions!
Hey Cherith,
This recipe has been updated and is now located in the HBH Super Simple Cookbook. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this! You call for a large can of tomatoes and I think it reads 14 oz but isn’t a large can 28 oz? That line is unclear. I wish the instructions weren’t in such light print when the rest is all in bold. Just bought your cookbook for my daughter!
Hi Patti,
So sorry for the confusion, you will want to use a 28 oz can of tomatoes. Thanks so much for ordering the book:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’VE MADE THIS RECIPE SO MANY TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR. IT IS SO SO GOOD. ONE OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES I’VE EVER MADE. NO JOKE.
Haha I love that!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Stephen! I hope you continue to enjoy this and others of mine! xTieghan
I loved this recipe but at the end of the meal, I just felt like something was missing. However, the instructions were very clear and well thought out and I enjoyed the backstory! I would make again, just with a few minor adjustments!
Thank you so much Sierra! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
My father in-law calls me the “Gumbo Queen” now! This is amazing. I have been coming back to this recipe for years. Is the recipe in your cookbook? All of your food looks and tastes fantastic!
I made this recipe a couple weeks ago and it was amazing!!?? We let it cook all day and it was the perfect combination of salty and spicy. The chicken was so tender and it went perfectly over rice.
Thank you Stephanie! I am so glad you loved this recipe!! xTieghan
This was AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to make it for a crowd. Thanks so much, Tieghan!
I am so glad you loved this recipe! It is so special to my fam! Thank you Merran! xTieghan
Roughly, how many servings does this make? I’ve made it in the past and loved it but I don’t recall how much it makes.
This should serve around 6 people. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂