This post, sharing the recipe for Mama Sue’s Kitchen Cabinet Gumbo, originally appeared on Arkansas Women Bloggers. I wrote the content as a contributor to their site at the time.

This gumbo recipe is a perfect choice for a weeknight Mardi Gras celebration around your dinner table. While not all communities have big celebrations for all events, it’s always fun to make your own festivities and traditions with your family. Mama Sue’s Kitchen Cabinet Gumbo would be a great meal this weekend or Tuesday for Mardi Gras.

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Whether you are the Pioneer Woman, a contestant on the Worst Cooks in America, or just trying to get culinary in a small south Arkansas town, nothing makes dinner easier than a “cabinet creation.” Growing up, I always dreaded “clean out the fridge” buffet night. I would offer to help my mom get the meal ready because that left me first in line to pick out the remains of my favorite meal of the week. Thus leaving the mushy stuff that I didn’t like for the slowpokes who weren’t listening when the dinner bell rang!

On the contrary, I LOVED nights when my mom just winged it. She was (and still is) the queen of creativity in the kitchen. She taught me how to make incredible meals on a tight budget. She can always remake leftovers into a new creation. She can take parts of two different meals and if you don’t pay attention, you think she has cooked a fresh dish 3 nights in the same week! It’s a not-so-secret talent and it’s been fun as we have added sons-in-law to the mix at our holiday table to watch their amazement at her dinner creations.

What she does best is always seek to be present with her people. Doing this takes lots of preparation. Mama will cook the week or weekend before we come and have meals ready in the fridge or freezer that we just have to bake and eat. (That leaves us more time for shopping, craft projects, window shopping, bargain hunting, cashing in coupons, and more shopping – all the essential things for time with your mama!)

She is also really great at her own “semi-homemade” treats. She will have the meat or cooked parts ready and just stir it all together at mealtime. That’s exactly what happened with today’s dish. On their own, any of these ingredients are just fine. But, together, they are magic! And if a Cajun likes anything, it’s the magic that happens in a slow, stewed gumbo.

Print Recipe

Crockpot Kitchen Cabinet Gumbo

Kitchen Cabinet Crockpot Gumbo is an easy weeknight meal that cooks while you work and still has the deep rich flavors of the bayou.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun

Keyword: cajun, crockpot, gumbo, pantry

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken breasts fresh or thawed
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning separated
• ½ cup water
• 3 14.5 ounce Margaret Holmes Okra, Tomatoes, and Corn
• 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1-2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2- 27 ounce cans Margaret Holmes Red Beans and Rice
• “soppin” bread – frozen garlic bread recommended

Instructions

• Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot with 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning and 1/2 cup water.
• Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove chicken to cutting board and dice into cubes. Return chicken to crockpot and add canned veggies, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning.
• Cook for 2 more hours on LOW. A few minutes before serving, add shrimp (chopped to a desired size or left whole) and canned red beans and rice.
• Stir together and serve hot with any sort of bread to sop up that goodness!

Notes

In case you are wondering, we are Texans, not Cajuns…therefore we let the people who know what to do, do it and we take full advantage of what comes our way!

For those looking for gameday meals, Wednesday night church suppers, weeknight meals for a busy day or just a lazy Saturday meal that gathers, add this one to your list.

I love Crockpot meals and feel like you can just never go wrong with any of these:

• Crockpot Freezer Meals
• Crockpot Turkey Tacos
• Crockpot Apple Butter
• Green Chile Chicken Chili
• KMac’s Crockpot Gumbo
• Mexican Chicken and Roasted Tomato Soup
• Slow Cooker Venison Swiss Steak
• Rustic Italian Chicken Stew
• Green Chile Chicken Chili
• Mama Sue’s Kitchen Cabinet Gumbo

Wondering what is my favorite slow cooker?