Sausage Stuffing
Sausage stuffing made with homemade sage sausage, a crusty loaf of bread, butter and fresh herbs. Baked in its own dish, so it's crispy on top and soft in the middle.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Sausage:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon sage dried or minced fresh
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more if you like heat
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram fresh if you have it
- 1 pinch ground cloves
Stuffing:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons per 1x batch for the top, divided
- 2 cups yellow onion diced (1 large onion)
- 2 cups celery diced (about 8 small stalks)
- 4 tablespoons fresh minced herbs a mix of sage, rosemary and thyme (this amount is the total, not each)
- 3 cups chicken stock or turkey stock; my homemade pressure cooker chicken broth works great
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/4 cup parsley minced
- 16 ounces bread 1 loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes; I like The Essential Baking Company rosemary take-and-bake loaf
Instructions
Before you begin
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a baking dish. Cut the 16 ounces bread into 1-inch cubes and set them aside.
For the sausage
- In a medium bowl, combine the 1 pound ground pork with the 1 tablespoon sage, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon marjoram and 1 pinch ground cloves. It's easiest to mix with your hands. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let it cool.
For the stuffing
- Melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter (save the extra butter for the top) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 cups yellow onion, 2 cups celery and 4 tablespoons fresh minced herbs (not the parsley). Stir to coat in the butter and sauté until they start to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the 3 cups chicken stock, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Let it cool until it's cool to the touch.
- Beat the 1 large egg with the 1/4 cup parsley in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat.
- Pour the cooked sausage and the cooled broth mixture over the bread and toss until every cube is moistened.
To bake
- Spread the stuffing in the buttered baking dish and dot the top with the rest of the butter. Bake right away; don't refrigerate the mixed, unbaked stuffing (see the notes for making it ahead).
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden and crispy, about 30 minutes more, until the center reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Notes
- Crispy or soft: for crispy edges, use a larger, shallower baking dish (it bakes a little faster). For softer stuffing, use a smaller, deeper dish.
- Make ahead: don't refrigerate the stuffing once it's mixed and unbaked (USDA). The day before, brown the sausage, make the vegetable and broth mixture, refrigerate both, and cube the bread. On the day, warm the broth mixture just until the butter melts, let it cool to the touch, then mix and bake. You can also freeze it unbaked and bake it from frozen until the center reaches 165°F.
- Dried herbs: use about a third as much as the fresh herbs.
- Although I call this stuffing, it's baked and served as a dressing. I don't actually stuff my turkey.
Nutrition
Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 520mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 459IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg
