Sides
Sausage Stuffing
Description
Savory Sausage Stuffing adds some understated meatiness to the usual Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. It starts with crusty sourdough bread and stuffing staples like onion and celery, but crumbled sausage makes it a side dish standout!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough or similar artisan bread cut into 1-inch cubes, about 16 ounces
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound uncooked turkey sausage
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
- 2 ½ to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread the bread cubes in an even layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until the cubes are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes, stirring twice during the baking to ensure they toast evenly. Set aside to cool. Increase the oven’s temperature to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch dish with baking spray and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or similar large, deep pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, celery, salt, and pepper. Let cook 4 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the sausage (if it’s in casings, squeeze it out). Break the sausage into crumbles, browning the meat as you go.
- Once the sausage is broken up, add the garlic, sage, and thyme. Let cook until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Leave any juices that collect in the pot; they will make your stuffing delicious.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Once the stock is hot, turn off the heat, then add the bread cubes. Stir gently to combine. The mixture should be very wet; add the additional 1/2 cup chicken broth as needed.
- Transfer the stuffing to a prepared baking dish. Coat a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray, then use it to cover the stuffing, spray side down (at this point, you can refrigerate the stuffing for up to one day; let come to room temperature prior to baking).
- Bake the stuffing for 20 minutes, remove the foil, then bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and fairly dry. Let cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy.
