Skinny Louisiana Gumbo Nachos
It’s carnival time! Mardi Gras is such a fun and festive time of year with extravagant Mardi Gras balls, parades galore, and delicious Louisiana cuisine. Friends and family gather for parades and where there is a gathering of people, there is always food.
Skinny Louisiana Gumbo Nachos are a crowd-pleasing appetizer that combines the deliciousness of dairy, nachos, and the Mardi Gras staple, gumbo, into bite-sized goodness your friends and family will love. These are the perfect snack after a day of parading, with the health benefits of dairy to keep you going until your next second line!
Easy substitutions will allow you to enjoy this dish without it settling on your hips, like a lot of Louisiana cuisine can do. First, lower the carbs and calories by making your own chips (as in the recipe below) or by selecting high-fiber tortillas (look for 5 grams of fiber per serving or higher). This won’t affect the flavor in the slightest.
Next, swap out regular sausage for turkey sausage to cut calories and fat. What about the dip? Using 2% cheese and Greek yogurt saves on calories and fat without losing flavor. Not to mention, dairy provides your recommended daily protein intake, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium.Your guests will want to do the Mardi Gras mambo after tasting this dish!
Skinny Louisiana Gumbo Nachos
Ingredients:
6 Mission Carb Balance Wraps* (or 6 high-fiber tortillas - 5 grams of more)
1 pound turkey sausage, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 cup frozen okra, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup 2% shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Parsley, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon light Cajun seasoning (we used Tony’s)
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 6-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt
*Six cups of tortilla chips can be used in place of the Mission Carb Balance Wraps.
Directions:
To make chips:
Preheat oven to 400˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.
Slice wraps into triangles. Arrange wraps on baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until crisp. Remove.
To make nachos:
Preheat oven to 400˚. Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage to skillet. Cook 5 minutes while stirring frequently. Add pepper and onion. Cook 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
Add okra. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Arrange chips on baking sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Spoon sausage mixture onto chips. Return pan to stove over medium heat.
Add oil and shrimp. Cook 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink. Spoon shrimp mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle celery and cheese over nachos.
Bake for 3-4 minutes or until cheese mixture is melted. While dish is baking, in a small bowl combine Cajun seasoning, sour cream and plain Greek yogurt. Remove nachos from oven. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve nachos with Greek yogurt dip.
Feed your family the health benefits of dairy with even more of our delicious dairy recipes.
Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN
Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN is an award-winning culinary dietitian and founder of Skinny Louisiana. She is the author of “Skinny Louisiana…in the Kitchen.” Follow her on Facebook and Pinterest at Skinny Louisiana.