Looking for a way to use up leftover turkey from a holiday or get-together? Leftover turkey gumbo is a great and tasty way to use up some of that meat, stock, vegetables, and herbs you may still have around.
As someone that was born in Cajun country, I grew up on gumbo and have eaten it so many ways throughout my life. This recipe, however, was my first time trying gumbo with turkey and I was not disappointed.
I love this recipe for its depths of flavor, and it is a great way to use up a lot of extra things you might have on hand after a holiday celebration. I know my family almost always has extra vegetables and herbs we didn’t quite go through after Thanksgiving and Christmas. This turkey gumbo recipe helps clear out some space in your fridge and pantry.
After Thanksgiving, I love to make homemade turkey stock, so I use that here. I also don’t add okra to this gumbo because this recipe is about utilizing leftovers, and we don’t really use okra in any of our dishes. If you want to add that, feel free to do so.
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🥘 Ingredients for Leftover Turkey Gumbo
As mentioned above, most of the ingredients here come from using leftovers you probably have on-hand already. Grab a few of the items you may need though, like the sausage and okra if you wish to add it.
Sausage – While you could make this with just the turkey, I like to add andouille sausage to it. Andouille is very traditional and adds a great flavor to any gumbo recipe. If you can’t get andouille or don’t care for it, you can replace it with smoked sausage or kielbasa.
Turkey – This recipe utilizes pre-cooked and leftover turkey meat. Use white meat, dark meat, or a combination of both. You can chop it as small or large as you like or shred it instead. I used leftover white and dark meat from my Cajun roasted turkey but use and chop/shred whatever you prefer.
Roux – Use a neutral, high-heat oil and all-purpose flour to make your roux here. I also use just a bit of oil to sear the sausage before making the roux.
Vegetables – The usual Cajun “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and green bell pepper is used here, though I like to add in red bell pepper for flavor and color. We’ll also add some garlic and green onion.
Seasoning – I keep things simple here with kosher salt, black pepper, and some cayenne. Feel free to replace it with your favorite Cajun/Creole seasoning blend if you like. I also like to add some Worcestershire sauce, which is optional.
Herbs – Use a combination of dried or fresh oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. I also add fresh parsley later in the cooking process and as a garnish.
Stock – Since this recipe is for a leftover turkey gumbo, I like to use my homemade turkey stock here. If you don’t have that, you might be able to find turkey stock/broth in the store or from Better than Bouillon. Barring any of those options, just use some chicken stock.
📜 What is Gumbo?
You could write an entire essay on the history and influence behind gumbo, which is well beyond the scope of this recipe. I’ll try and keep this part short and sweet instead.
Gumbo is the official state cuisine of Louisiana and started its humble beginnings as far back as the early 1800s. At its heart, gumbo is a type of stew typically served over or with rice (with some areas serving it over potato salad instead). Gumbo is the epitome of many Cajun and Creole dishes, with its roots in the many various cultures that came to call this area of Louisiana home.
This varied culture included the French Acadians, Central and West Africans, Germans, Spanish, French, and Native Americans. The word gumbo itself is believed to come from the West African word “gombo” which translates to “okra.” Before rice became more readily available, early gumbo dishes may have been served over corn grits and used powdered sassafras leaves as a thickener (and many still do), both learned from Native American tribes.
The Acadians found that when they resettled in LA, the environment wasn’t good for growing carrots, part of their French mirepoix, but was great land for growing bell peppers. This eventually formed the Cajun “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and green bell pepper. While it evolved over time, gumbo took a lot of these multi-cultural ingredients and techniques to form a unique meal.
🔪 How to Make Turkey Gumbo
Prep Work
As mentioned in the ingredients, start with some leftover turkey and choose white, dark, or mixed meat. Rough chop it, dice it, or shred it all up, whatever you prefer, and return it to the refrigerator for later.
Start by prepping all your ingredients so you’ll be ready to go as soon as the roux is the right color. I like to small dice the onion, celery, bell peppers, and green onions, mince the garlic, and finely chop the parsley and any other fresh herbs you use and set everything aside.
Slice the sausage into coins and some of those into halfmoons. Heat a large pot or Dutch-oven over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of oil. Add the sliced sausage and sear it until nicely charred on both sides, about 7-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and set aside.
Make the Roux
In the same pot with the rendered sausage fat and oil, add more oil and let it heat it up. Add the flour and stir constantly until it combines with the oil and you don’t see any dry flour.
Making the roux can take quite a while. You can keep the heat at medium-high or turn it down (I like to keep it about medium). This will take longer but you’ll have better control over not burning it. Keep stirring or whisking it until the roux becomes the color of milk chocolate or slightly darker. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to upwards of 40-50 minutes depending on the heat, your oil, and flour. I like to cook it to about milk chocolate color since it will continue to cook when you add vegetables.
Once the roux reaches the color you desire, lower the heat to low to medium-low and pour in the onion, celery, and bell peppers. Stir to combine the roux with the vegetables and this will cook them. Cook the vegetables in the roux until softened, for about 5-6 minutes.
Now add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and dried thyme and oregano (if using dried). Stir and cook a minute more. Slowly add some of the stock, stirring to break up the roux and vegetables and letting the roux absorb some of the liquid. Finish with the rest of the stock and add in the reserved sausage, chopped green onions, bay leaves, fresh thyme and oregano (if using fresh).
Cook and Plate the Gumbo
Bring the gumbo to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the gumbo to simmer for an hour, uncovered, and give it a stir occasionally.
If you make rice to serve with the gumbo (and you should), get that started while the gumbo is simmering.
In the last 15 minutes or so of simmering, add in the reserved turkey and most of the chopped parsley. At this time taste the gumbo and adjust for seasoning if you think it needs more salt or some more heat.
Once finished, turn the heat to the lowest setting to keep it warm and serve the gumbo either over rice or in a large bowl with a scoop of rice on top. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy with some sliced French bread or cornbread. Serve with filé powder on the side for those that would like to add it.
💭 Gumbo Notes & Tips
Controversial Ingredients
Okra – Plenty of people will tell you that since the name comes from the West African word for okra, that gumbo without okra isn’t real gumbo. Honestly though, plenty of people do not like okra and it’s being used less often these days in gumbo. There are different tricks to cooking it and straining it to be less slimy in gumbo, but if you don’t want to use it, skip it and you do you.
Tomatoes – Cajuns will tell you straight away tomatoes DO NOT belong in gumbo. Some Creole style gumbos will use tomatoes, but in a Cajun gumbo they’re a no-no. Again though, if you like them, do what you prefer in your own cooking.
Filé Powder – Also sold as Gumbo Filé, filé powder is made from ground sassafras leaves and is commonly used as thickener for gumbo in place of okra. It also adds a slightly earthy flavor. I never recommend adding it directly to gumbo while cooking as boiling it or even simmering for too long can turn it stringy and somewhat slimy. If you plan on having no leftovers, you can stir it in for the last few minutes or right after turning off the heat. Typically, I provide filé table-side so people can choose whether to add it or not.
Surf vs Turf – Another controversial topic is that gumbo should include more than one protein but never mix surf and turf. Cajun gumbo was typically made with things like chicken, turkey, duck, sausage, ham, and even wild game. Creole gumbo, being made in a port city, utilized local shellfish like shrimp, crawfish, crab and other local seafood. Again, do what you want and don’t let people be gatekeepers. The gumbo I grew up on usually always included chicken, andouille, and shrimp and I still love it to this day.
Cooking Gumbo
Butter – The reason Cajun gumbo is made with oil and flour is because of how long the roux cooks and how dark you take it. Some Creole gumbos will use butter because they’re only taking the roux to peanut butter or copper color, but in dark Cajun roux the butter would burn. If you really want to use butter in a dark roux, I suggest using Ghee (clarified butter). I also don’t recommend olive oil as it has a lower smoking point and can give the roux and gumbo an off taste.
Roux – One of the most important parts of making gumbo is the roux. While many people consider the exhausting, constant stirring/whisking of the roux almost like a rite of passage, it can be annoying. There are some alternative ways to make it, however. Don’t tell anyone you used it, but you can also buy it in jar at some stores.
One trick is heating the oil and adding the flour until combined, then tossing in the oven for 40-60 minutes, giving it a stir every 15-20 minutes. Another option is to toast just the flour in the oven until darkened, then finish it with oil on the stove. These methods don’t shave a lot of time off making the roux, but they do free up your time to do other things, like cutting all the vegetables.
Cooking Time – While many recipes show a 1-hour cooking time after adding the stock, gumbo is something that tastes better the longer you let it simmer. Sometimes I let it go for a good 3 hours at least. If you do simmer it for a longer period, I suggest either 3 hours covered with the lid slightly open or 2 hours covered and 1 hour uncovered. This will minimize the liquid loss and reduction.
Gumbo vs Jambalaya – People outside of the Gulf Coast always seem to ask what the difference in these two popular Cajun/Creole dishes are. At a basic level, gumbo is a stew that is usually served over plain white rice while jambalaya is a rice dish in which the rice is cooked and seasoned along with everything else. While they both share almost every ingredient, they are different dishes altogether. If you were making gumbo but skipped the roux and used like half the amount of stock, then tossed uncooked rice in it… you’d basically end up with jambalaya.
🍽 Recommended Equipment
While you can easily make this leftover turkey gumbo with a good, sharp knife and a big ’ole pot, here’s just a few things I recommend.
Dutch-Oven – You can use a big stain-less steal or non-stick stock pot, but I highly recommend enamel-coated Dutch-ovens. They retain heat well, are easier to clean, and can be used both on the stove-top and oven. Another great option I wish my own family had to pass down is Magnalite cast aluminum cookware. While the original brand is long gone, a few companies took up the mantle, such as Magnaware and McWare.
Vegetable Chopper – I’m comfortable with cutting vegetables by hand because I have decades of experience, and still do it 98% of the time. However, when you need to cut a lot of vegetables for large batches or around the holidays, a decent vegetable chopper comes in handy. You will still need to cut them down a bit first, but these tools are efficient and consistent.
Gravy Whisk – Many people will use a balloon whisk or flat whisk for making a roux, but I find when using a Dutch-oven or other high-walled pot, they can be difficult to reach with or get all around the edges of a pot. I love using this style of gravy whisk for making a roux because it is bent to make reaching down to the bottom of a pot easier and rounded to get anything that may hide around the edges.
Rice Cooker – You can easily make this in a pot, but if you cook a lot of rice often, I recommend a good rice cooker. These are very efficient and free up space on the stove, plus they keep large portions of rice warm for you.
🦃 Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes
While I love this leftover turkey gumbo recipe, here’s some other great ways to use up leftover turkey and sides from Thanksgiving and other holidays.
- Leftover Turkey Barley Soup
- Leftover Turkey & Stuffing Dumpling Soup
- Leftover Thanksgiving Egg Rolls
- Leftover Turkey Chili
- Thanksgiving Leftovers Monte Cristo
- Leftover Turkey Croquettes
- Thanksgiving Leftovers Mac & Cheese
- Leftover Thanksgiving Waffles
❄️ How to Store Gumbo
Once cooled completely, you should store leftover gumbo in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If you have a large pot of leftover gumbo, it can take a few hours to fully cool, which can leave it sitting out too long. Once you turn off the heat, I recommend transferring the gumbo to unsealed storage containers instead of leaving it in cookware that can retain heat well for a long time.
Another option for cooling is to transfer as above for about 30-45 minutes at room temperature until the leftover gumbo is warmer than room temperature but not hot. Move it to your refrigerator UNCOVERED until cold, then cover or transfer to another airtight container.
Never cool hot food in the fridge as it can raise the temperature of your refrigerator and possibly spoil other things. Also, never place hot food in the fridge while covered or sealed, as that can breed bacteria and spoil the food rapidly.
Because this version of gumbo is being made with leftover turkey, how many days after you cooked and stored that turkey will also reduce the amount of time the gumbo can be stored. Cooked turkey can be stored for about 4-5 days, so if you make this recipe 2 days later, the gumbo should be eaten or frozen within 2-3 days.
To reheat leftover turkey gumbo, I recommend adding how much you want into a small or medium pot on the stove. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.
Also, if you make rice to serve with the gumbo, be sure to store that separately. Leftover white rice can be refrigerated for up to 4-6 days.
For longer storage, you can also freeze the gumbo once cooled completely. You can freeze gumbo for 3-6 months, but I recommend eating it within 3 months for best flavor. For easier storage, you can freeze the gumbo in large plastic freezer bags and store them flat. Optionally, use smaller freezer bags and you can store 1 cup portions and thaw what you need. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as above.
📋 Recipe
Leftover Turkey Gumbo
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups leftover turkey, chopped or shredded
- 13 ounces andouille sausage, see note
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, optional, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne, adjust for preferred heat
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 teaspoon fresh
- 6 cups turkey stock, or chicken
- 2 stalks green onion
- 2 bay leaves
Directions
Prep Work:
- As mentioned in the ingredients, start with 3-4 cups worth of leftover turkey and choose white, dark, or mixed meat. Rough chop it, dice it, or shred it all up, whatever you prefer, and return it to the refrigerator for later.
- Start by prepping all your ingredients so you’ll be ready to go as soon as the roux is the right color. I like to small dice a yellow onion, 2 ribs of celery, a red and green bell pepper, 2 stalks of green onion, mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop a ¼ cup of parsley and any other fresh herbs you use and set everything aside.
- Slice 13oz andouille sausage into coins and some of those into halfmoons. Heat a large pot or Dutch-oven over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of oil. Add the sliced sausage and sear it until nicely charred on both sides, about 7-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and set aside.
Make the Roux:
- In the same pot with the rendered sausage fat and oil, add ½ cup neutral oil and let it heat it up. Add ¾ cup all-purpose flour and stir constantly until it combines with the oil and you don’t see any dry flour.
- Making the roux can take quite a while. You can keep the heat at medium-high or turn it down (I like to keep it about medium). This will take longer but you’ll have better control over not burning it. Keep stirring or whisking it until the roux becomes the color of milk chocolate or slightly darker. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to upwards of 40-50 minutes depending on the heat, your oil, and flour. I like to cook it to about milk chocolate color since it will continue to cook when you add vegetables.
- Once the roux reaches the color you desire, lower the heat to low to medium-low and pour in the onion, celery, and bell peppers. Stir to combine the roux with the vegetables and this will cook them. Cook the vegetables in the roux until softened, for about 5-6 minutes.
- Now add the garlic, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano (if using dried). Stir and cook a minute more. Slowly add some of the stock, stirring to break up the roux and vegetables and letting the roux absorb some of the liquid. Finish with the rest of the stock and add in the reserved sausage, chopped green onions, 2 bay leaves, fresh thyme and oregano (1 teaspoon if using fresh).
Cook and Plate the Gumbo:
- Bring the gumbo to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the gumbo to simmer for an hour, uncovered, and give it a stir occasionally.
- If you make rice to serve with the gumbo (and you should), get that started while the gumbo is simmering.
- In the last 15 minutes or so of simmering, add in the reserved turkey and most of the chopped parsley. At this time taste the gumbo and adjust for seasoning if you think it needs more salt or some more heat.
- Once finished, turn the heat to the lowest setting to keep it warm and serve the gumbo either over rice or in a large bowl with a scoop of rice on top. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy with some sliced French bread or cornbread. Serve with filé powder on the side for those that would like to add it.
Heidi says
Yummy! Great to make wirh leftovers!!