Top 6 Meals Served at a Louisiana Thanksgiving

By Raykael Morris | @Raykael_Morris

November 20, 2016

The Daily Reveille archives

Chicken and sausage gumbo from The Chimes

As Thanksgiving makes its way to our agendas and stomachs, every Louisiana family plans to cook up their best dishes. Here are the top six classic Thanksgiving meals that you can expect to see on a Louisiana table.
1. GUMBO
With cold November nights approaching, a big bowl of homemade seafood gumbo is sure to be at the dinner table. The classic dish includes many southern favorites, such as shrimp, crab and andouille sausage. Most families pair this dish with potato salad.
2. JAMBALAYA
Another meal you can expect to see is as part of a Louisiana Thanksgiving is jambalaya. Though many Louisiana dishes require rice in some form or fashion, jambalaya is a dish all on its own. Most jambalaya contains different sausages and seafood somewhere in the mix. This Louisiana classic is the perfect side to complement any dish served on Thanksgiving.
3. STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
Particularly common in the state, stuffed bell peppers consist of ground beef, shrimp and sometimes crab meat stuffed inside of a green bell pepper. Because this meal takes several steps to complete, it is an easy way for families to spend time cooking together.
4. CORNBREAD
Cornbread can be used in a couple ways during Thanksgiving: stuffing for the turkey or as a side dish. This simple dish adds a taste of sweetness in the midst of savory dishes.
5. VEGETABLES
After all the carbs from the other meals, it is nice to have some greens in a Thanksgiving dinner. Among the most common in the South are collard greens, green beans and spinach.
6. TURKEY
While turkey is a Thanksgiving staple across the country, many Louisiana families add a Cajun flare to the traditional main course. Most use cornbread as their main ingredient for the turkey dressing.
Southerners sometimes serve deep-fried turkeys. A spin on the classic, the fried turkey is a faster and simpler way to prepare the meat.