If you like your dishes with a lot of flavor and spice, then you are sure to love Cajun cuisine. Believe it or not our Texas smoked sausage is the perfect addition to a dish originated out of Louisiana. The subtle hints of smoked sausage pair well with the spicy heat from Cajun food. Spice up your meal with these Cajun inspired sausage recipes.
Red Beans and Rice
We gave this classic a Texas twist with our smoked sausage. Any flavor of sausage will do, and we recommend the Tejano Texas Sausage if you’re looking for extra heat!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. shortening
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 8 cups water
- 1 lb. dried red beans
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 lb. Meyer’s Elgin Sausage sliced — any flavor will do!
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. dried sage
- Hot pepper sauce, to taste
- 3 cups cooked Rice
Directions
1. Over medium heat, melt shortening in a skillet. Cook chopped onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender.
2. In a large pot, combine water, red beans, and ham hock and bring to a boil. Stir onion mixture into the water; add smoked sausage and celery to the boiling water; return to a boil. Stir bay leaves, Creole seasoning, thyme, and sage into the boiling water.
3. Reduce heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and simmer until the beans are tender. This could take 5-6 hours.
4. Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock and bay leaves.
5. Stir in hot pepper sauce to taste and serve over white rice.
Gumbo
This is the shrimp and sausage comfort food you didn’t know you needed.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. Butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. Hot Texas Sausage
- 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (15 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 green onions, sliced
- White rice, cooked for serving
Directions
1. Over medium-low heat, melt butter in a large skillet, and then add flour. Stir constantly while cooking (about 10 minutes), until the flour and butter mixture is a dark brown color.
2. Add onions, peppers, and celery to the mixture and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and sausage.
3. Add Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in bay leaf, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. This could take as long as an hour and you should stir occasionally while checking on consistency.
4. Add shrimp in the last 10 minutes of cooking because shrimp cooks quickly. The shrimp will turn pink when it is cooked through.
5. Stir in green onions and serve gumbo over a spoonful of rice.
Jambalaya
You will enjoy the deep flavors and aromatics of this dish. We make ours with a Texas sausage in place of the Andouille sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
- ½ lb. sliced Hot Texas or Garlic Sausage
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ¼ tsp. garlic salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup water
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- ½ tsp. hot pepper sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
1. Over medium-high heat, warm olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, and sausage and sauté until vegetables are tender.
2. Add rice and spices (paprika, black pepper, oregano, onion powder, thyme, salt, and bay leaf) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, water, tomato paste, hot pepper sauce, and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes. 5. Let stand for 5 minutes and stir in chopped parsley.
