As the holiday season wraps up, many folks find themselves facing the delightful question of what to do with leftover turkey. Fear not, for we have the perfect solution that celebrates our rich Southern culinary heritage: Leftover Turkey Gumbo with Sausage. This comfort dish combines the holiday flavors of turkey, sausage, and a medley of spices to create a gumbo that’s as comforting as a warm Gulf breeze. This is our favorite way to repurpose that leftover holiday dish!
Table of contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- ½ cup of flour
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon of ground thyme
- 1 tablespoon of ground sage
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 10 cups of chicken stock (turkey stock from the carcass is ideal)
- 2 cups of sliced okra
- 1 lb. of leftover turkey (light and dark meat)
- 1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, sliced
- 6 cups of steamed rice
- Optional: If you are not using okara, use 1 Tablespoon of Gumbo File to thicken. Add up to 3 tablespoons of file if you desire a really thick gumbo. Alternatively, add more stock if you want to thin it out.
How To Make Leftover Turkey Gumbo Recipe with Sausage
You may be intimidated to do a dish with a roux, but the good news is, it’s easier than you think. Here’s how:
Step 1: In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir constantly until the roux starts to become a light brown color (or longer for a dark roux if that fits your personal taste).
5 qt stockpotStep 2: Add onions, celery and bell pepper. Sauté until they are soft, about 8 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the thyme, sage, salt and cayenne pepper into the pot and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 4: Pour the *chicken stock (see tip below on homemade turkey stock) into the pot and stir until the roux and the stock have fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Add the okra (see tip below for a no okra option), turkey meat and sausage and bring to a boil.
Step 5: Stir and simmer over low heat for an hour. Stir at 30 minutes.
Step 6: Serve over white rice and enjoy!
Tip: If you are not using okara, use 1 Tablespoon of Gumbo Filé powder to thicken. Add up to 3 tablespoons of filé powder if you desire a really thick gumbo. Alternatively, add more stock if you want to thin it out.
Tip: Homemade Turkey Stock: To make your own homemade stock (if there is none available from the pan the turkey was cooked in), boil the carcass of the turkey in water with onions and celery for 1-2 hours. Strain the stock to catch any small bones before using.
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Optional Variations and Dietary Adaptations
As much as we love this Leftover Turkey Gumbo with Sausage exactly the way we normally make it, we want you to love it, too. Here are a few potential variations to try — if you test ‘em out, let us know how they turn out in the comments below!
- Gluten-Free – This recipe can be easily converted to gluten-free by swapping in gluten-free butter, gluten-free all-purpose flour, gluten-free chicken or turkey stock, and gluten-free smoked sausage.
- Dairy-Free – Simply swap in vegan butter or vegetable oil, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken or turkey stock, and dairy free smoked sausage.
- Vegan – Simply swap in vegan butter, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken or turkey stock, swap in vegan turkey substitute or extra firm tofu, diced, and some vegan smoked sausage, sliced. This vegan version maintains the flavors of the original recipe without the use of animal products. Enjoy your vegan gumbo!
Expert Tips
Making this delicious leftover Thanksgiving turkey gumbo is pretty easy, but we’ve learned a few things along the way:
- Don’t rush your gumbo roux.Taking your time stirring that butter and flour until it’s the right color to your liking, whether that’s the color of peanut butter or the color of chocolate, is the key to a rich and flavorful gumbo.
- Turkey Stock is the way to go. If you have time, go that extra step and make (or collect) your turkey stock. If there isn’t turkey stock left in the pan used to bake your turkey, boil the leftover turkey carcass with onions and celery for a couple of hours. Strain it well and it’s the perfect way to maximize flavor on your taste buds!
- The Holy Trinity. If you have little time, grab yourself a package of trinity mix such as Guidry’s Fresh Cuts. This will save you time on chopping up those sweet onions, celery stalks, and bell pepper.
- Not a fan of okra? If you aren’t a fan of okra, use gumbo file powder. Spinke it in just before serving. It is a great way to add in authenticity and thicken your gumbo just right.
FAQs
Can I freeze leftover gumbo? You sure can! Gumbo freezes well, and it’s just as good as it would be on the next day!
Can I leave out the okra? Sure thing! Okra adds a unique thickness to gumbo, so we recommend replacing okra with 1 Tablespoon of Gumbo Filé powder to thicken.
Can I use leftover chicken instead? Absolutely! This gumbo is flexible. You can use chicken, turkey breast, smoked turkey, roasted turkey, or anything that the entire family would like!
Can I use different types of sausage? Of course! We love to use varying sausages every time we make it: andouille sausage, country sausage, smoky sausage.
More Cajun Recipes
- Cajun Crab & Corn Bisque
- Louisiana Seafood Gumbo Recipe
- Crockpot Red Beans & Rice
- Creamy Shrimp & Grits
If y’all tried this sumptuous recipe for Leftover Turkey Gumbo with Sausage, holler and let us know how it turned out for you by giving us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and commenting below. You can also always feel free to tag us (@creamcheeseandlemonsqueeze) in your social media posts so we can cheer you on.
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XO,
Anna & Ashley
Leftover Turkey Gumbo with Sausage
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 stalks of celery diced
- 1 small bell pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon ground thyme
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 10 cups chicken stock turkey stock from the carcass is ideal
- 2 cups okra sliced
- 1 lb. leftover turkey light and dark meat
- 1 lb. andouille sausage sliced (or smoked sausage)
- 6 cups rice steamed
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir constantly until the roux starts to become a light brown color (or longer for a dark roux if that fits your personal taste).
- Add onions, celery and bell pepper. Sauté until they are soft, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme, sage, salt and cayenne pepper into the pot and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour the *chicken stock (see tip on homemade turkey stock) into the pot and stir until the roux and the stock have fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Add the okra, turkey meat and sausage and bring to a boil.
- Stir and simmer over low heat for an hour. Stir at 30 minutes.
- Serve over white rice and enjoy!
- OPTIONAL: If you are not using okara, use 1 Tablespoon of Gumbo Filé powder to thicken. Add up to 3 tablespoons of filé powder if you desire a really thick gumbo. Alternatively, add more stock if you want to thin it out.