Green Gumbo

a steaming bowl of spicy gumbo loaded with greens

Image courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

Prep Time

50 minutes

Number of Servings

Serves 6

Recipe Source

One-Hour Comfort by America’s Test Kitchen ($29.99, America’s Test Kitchen, 2021)

Ingredients

¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil
¹⁄₂ cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 ¹⁄₄ tsp table salt, divided
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
5 cups water
12 oz collard greens, mustard greens, or kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen cut okra
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed
12 oz curly-leaf spinach or Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into
1-inch lengths
1 Tbsp cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
2 scallions, sliced thin (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using a rubber spatula, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is color of peanut butter, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux has darkened to color of milk chocolate, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, paprika, and cayenne. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in collard greens, 1 handful at a time; okra; and remaining 1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons salt. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until greens are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas; spinach, 1 handful at a time; and green beans. Simmer until green beans and spinach are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Sprinkle with scallions, if using. Serve.

Nutrition Info

With collard greens and spinach: 333 Calories, 8 g Protein, 0 mg Cholesterol, 34 g Carbohydrates, 6 g Total sugars (0 g Added sugars), 10 g Fiber, 20 g Total fat (1 g sat), 749 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, ★★★★ Vitamin E, ★★★ Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, ★★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Iron, Potassium, ★ Vitamin B3 (niacin), Phosphorus, Zinc