Tuna Gumbo

I love Cajun-esque food, and this is a recipe my mom made all the time growing up.

I freakin' loved it.

I still do!  The beauty of it is that you're not dealing with tons of seafood and sausage, you can use any fresh or frozen veggies you'd like, and you still get the salty/briny taste from Cajun seasoning and the canned tuna.

It's perfect.  And cheap.  And easy!

Here's what you need:]

• 1 small can tuna (I'm a white in water tuna girl, but use whatever you like!)
• 6 oz smoked sausage (optional)
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (or make your own blackening seasoning - it's perfect for this!)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno
• ½ medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 rib celery
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups fresh or frozen okra
• ½ cup fresh or frozen corn
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• salt and hot sauce, to taste
• white rice, for serving

I make this with or without sausage depending on how I'm feeling - it's up to you!  The tuna is really what makes it for me, though. Also, my okra was frozen and gifted to me from Nanny. If you don't have a Nanny who freezes okra you're welcome to use frozen okra from the store.  I won't mind.

And...ooh....look at my tomatoes!  They were fire roasted with garlic.  Yum!  Use any old diced tomatoes, though - this is what makes the recipe different each time!

It's easy!  If you're using the sausage, start by heating a pan to medium heat with a drizzle of oil, and dice the sausage into cubes.

Brown the sausage all over until it's nice and crispy, then set it aside.

While the sausage is browning, cut up the veggies! Dice the onion and finely dice the celery....

....then chop the green pepper....

....and thinly slice the jalapeno.  Take out the seeds if you don't like things too spicy!

When the sausage is out of the pan, add the onion, celery, and peppers to the pan with a tiny sprinkle of salt.  Stir them around for 5 minutes until they start to soften and just barely turn brown.

Now, mince the garlic and add it to the pan.  Stir in the garlic for one more minute.

Then, add the frozen (or fresh, whatevs) veggies to the pan and stir them around for 5-10 minutes until they are thawed and most of the freezing liquid has evaporated.  If this is taking awhile you can put a lid on the pan to allow the veggies to steam quickly.

When all the veggies are incorporated, add the tomatoes, their juices, and the cajun seasoning to the pan.  Add the crispy sausage to the pan as well.  YUM!  Good things are happening here, now!

Now, let the sauce simmer for a few minutes and slowly add the chicken stock - start with ¼ cup and work your way up depending on how much liquid is already in the pan.  Just keep adding as the sauce simmers.

Now, you can stop at this point and eat in 19 hours (or whatever), or you can press on and get this ready eat right now!  When you're ready to serve, drain and gently stir in the tuna.  Taste the sauce and let it simmer for a few more minutes just to heat the tuna through.  Add more seasoning or salt if you'd like!

I love this served over plain rice with any fresh herbs (or none) that I have.  This particular time I stirred in 1 tablespoon of butter and some basil and parsley...it was delicious!

This is so wonderful each time, with or without sausage, with other veggies...you name it!

Enjoy this - it's on my regular weeknight dinner roster!