Green Gumbo
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Savor the rich taste of gumbo greens, a Southern classic with collards, sausage, and a perfect roux for a delightful comfort dish.
This green gumbo recipe is a perfect southern comfort food. This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a traditional roux of oil and flour with the holy trinity (onions, celery and peppers) cooked down with some broth, sausage and an array of greens. This is the perfect spin on a typical gumbo recipe. If you love collards, mustards, or even turnips, this is a perfect way to cook them.
There are so many ways to make a gumbo. I love this green…ok predominantly collard green gumbo recipe. Like I said before, it’s basically just the normal start to a traditional gumbo, except you’re only adding in sausage, ham hocks and greens. I was super proud that this particular time I made this green gumbo, I used greens out of my own garden. I mainly used collards, but you can also use mustard greens, chard, kale, and turnip greens.
FAQ About These Gumbo Greens:
I’ve never made a roux. Help!
Don’t panic. Making a roux is actually quite simple, it just takes some time. You’ll just mix equal parts of flour and oil (I use vegetable oil) and mix them continuously on low heat. It will bubble at first then start to slowly turn dark. Be patient and don’t overheat!
Do I have to use a ham hock?
You don’t! I would substitute with some thick cut ham slices.
What greens should I use?
You can use a variety of greens for this recipe. I used everything I had in my garden at the time when I created this recipe. I used collards, mustard greens, Swiss chard and kale. However, you can use whichever greens you prefer.
Equipment You’ll Need
You’ll need a large pot or Dutch oven to make your collard green gumbo in. I love the Le Creuset. The main reason being because the interior is cream colored, so you can really see the color of your roux well. I also love this wooden spoons/scrapers when stirring up a roux. You’ll also need a kitchen knife and maybe a cutting board.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Oil and Flour:
This is for making your roux. I use one part oil to one part flour. I don’t know why, but my mom always used 2/3 a cup of each.
Holy Trinity:
This is your chopped onion, celery, and green bell pepper.
Smoked Sausage:
I like smoked sausage better than andouille. That’s just me. I think that any sausage would probably taste good.
Broth:
You’ll need 32 ounces of chicken broth.
Ham Hocks:
I used three ham hocks.
Lemon Juice:
This just evens up the flavor in my opinion.
Chopped Greens:
Ok. I mainly used collards, but you can also use mustard greens, chard, kale, and turnip greens.
Seasonings:
You’ll need sugar, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce.
How to Store and Reheat These Gumbo Greens
Refrigerator:
I would recommend storing these greens in the fridge for up to seven days. When you want to reheat them. You can always microwave and individual serving or add them back to the pot and reheat on low heat. You may have to add a bit more broth if they become too thick.
Freezer:
You can freeze these gumbo greens in a gallon bag or in a freezer-safe, air-tight container for three to six months. When unthawing, you can simply defrost by submerging the container in hot water or placing it in the refrigerator overnight. I would reheat the same way as stating above. You can add them to a pot and reheat on low heat. Always add a bit more broth if they are too thick.
How to Make Green Gumbo
Step one:
In a large pot, add your oil and flour on low to medium heat. Stir constantly. This is your roux/base of your gumbo. It will come to be a copper penny color. This should take a while. It usually takes me about 20 minutes so be patient.
Step two:
Add in your chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux. It will give them a fluffy coating. Sauté for several minutes until they all become tender.
Step three:
Add in your sliced smoked sausage, and sauté for several minutes. Then, add in your broth and hocks, greens and seasonings. Cover and reduce heat to low.
Step four:
You’ll need to let it all simmer for about an hour, stirring periodically. This will cook down your greens and make your hocks tender. Take out the hocks from the gumbo, pull all the meat off, then return it to the pot. Keep it on low.
Step five:
Serve over rice and with cornbread. Enjoy!
Green Gumbo
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven
- Kitchen Knife
- Soup Ladle
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Oil (I use vegetable oil)
- 2/3 cup Flour
- 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks, Chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
- 14 oz Smoked Sausage
- 32 oz Chicken Broth
- 3 Ham Hocks
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 4-5 cups Chopped Greens (You can use collards, turnips, mustards, whatever you'd like) I mainly used collards.
Seasonings
- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasonings
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Hot Sauce
Instructions
- In a large pot, add your oil and flour on low to medium heat. Stir constantly. This is your roux/base of your gumbo. It will come to be a copper penny color. This should take a while. It usually takes me about 20 minutes so be patient.
- Add in your chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux. It will give them a fluffy coating. Sauté for several minutes until they all become tender.
- Add in your sliced smoked sausage, and sauté for several minutes. Then, add in your broth and hocks, greens and seasonings. Cover and reduce heat to low.
- You'll need to let it all simmer for about an hour, stirring periodically. This will cook down your greens and make your hocks tender. Take out the hocks from the gumbo, pull all the meat off, then return it to the pot. Keep it on low.
- Serve over rice and with cornbread. Enjoy!
Hold on…
Let me know what you thought about this green gumbo recipe? Did you like it? You can always reach me here or in the comments below. Happy cooking!