Vegetarian Gumbo
A flavorful vegetarian gumbo dish filled with Creole familiar vegetables and spices.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 10 oz cremini mushroom finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tspn dried thyme
- 2 tspn smoked paprika
- 1 tspn dried oregano
- 1/2 tspn cayenne pepper
- 3 tspn vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tspn liquid smoke
- 1/2 tspn salt plus more to taste
- 3/4 tspn pepper
- 15 oz cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth plus 2 tbsp
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 2 cups okra sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 1/2 cups tomato crushed
- 15 oz red kidney bean drained and rinsed
- brown rice cooked for serving
- fresh parsley chopping for serving
Instructions
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In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add ½ cup diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until semi-translucent.
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Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated.
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Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until all of the liquid has evaporated and the spices are fragrant.
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Add the cannellini beans to a medium bowl and mash until mostly smooth (a few lumps are okay). Then, add the mushroom mixture, bread crumbs, vital wheat gluten, and 2 tablespoons vegetable broth and mix well until combined. Use your hands to knead the mixture until cohesive, then begin to roll about a tablespoon at a time of the mixture into “meatballs”.
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In the same large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meatballs and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside.
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Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, along with the flour. Stir the roux continuously with a wooden spoon for about 3-4 minutes, until the consistency resembles wet sand.
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Add the remaining ½ cup diced onion, the celery, and the okra to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is semi-translucent.
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Add the remaining 4 cloves of minced garlic and the green bell pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
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Add the remaining teaspoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook for 4 more minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
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Add the crushed tomatoes and stir until combined. Then, add the red beans and add the remaining 3½ cups (840ml) vegetable broth and stir until well combined. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the gumbo has thickened.
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Season with salt to taste. Then, add the meatballs and stir to incorporate.
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Serve over rice and garnish with parsley.