The Covered Dish - Simple Louisiana Gumbo Soup

Yes, you can eat soup in the summer! This week’s simple recipe will come togetherquickly. With a little extra thickening the soup could be served over rice as a main entree. This will come together very quickly and provide good substance for the entire family.
This past week we stayed busy with the usual errands and of course a Father’s Day celebration on Sunday. Our ‘Dad’ day started off with banana pancakes, sausage and eggs. Our son, Phillip and wife, Paige, came by to celebrate the day with Dad’s requested meal. By lunch I was taking a Sunday afternoon nap. We wrapped up the day with his requested strawberry shortcakes. You will remember I ran my recipe for sweet biscuits shortcakes a week or so ago. I have to admit it was one yummy dessert.
As the norm, I did some ‘big’ cooking and prepping over the weekend. This week it was watermelon and a large Italian Pasta Salad. This means Monday I can work at the sewing machine most of the day and lunch is ready to go. Funny, I remember my mother, Betty, doing the same thing when we kids were growing up.
This gumbo soup is going to contain both fresh cooked chicken and a kielbasa style sausage of your choice. I like to reach for andouille, which usually has a little heat.
If smaller children are eating the dish, a milder sausage would be a better choice.
The shrimp could be left out if cost or ‘seafood’ in itself is an issue.
If needed I would even use this easy recipe with guests. No, you haven’t chopped all the peppers and onions yourself, but you have presented a good meal for the family on a much shorter time frame. And, it also means you may have found time for yourself and the family in the process.
The 4th of July menu needs to be a bit special this year. Even if it’s hotdogs! Just do a few little extras with the kiddos. Read the constitution, talk about how our nation was founded. Build an appreciation for what it means to live in the land of the free.
Simply Yours, The Covered Dish.

Simple Louisiana Gumbo Soup
8 oz. Pkg. Of Williams Country Store Louisiana Style Gumbo Soup
1 quart of tomatoes, 32 ozs.
1 can Okra drained
1-2 cups cooked chicken breasts, diced
1⁄2 pkg. Andouille or polish sausage, thinly sliced and cut in half
1 pound medium shrimp, left whole
Prepare the Louisiana Gumbo Soup according to the pkg directions.
Review the options presented on the packaging. Add the above ingredients and/or any of your own adaptions. Serve with rice, or eat like gumbo soup.