Holiday 2008: Sausage and Rustic Bread Stuffing
I’ve made this stuffing twice at Thanksgiving now, and I served it recently with Sage and Clementine Roast Chicken. Stuffing (or dressing as we called it growing up) never had meat it in: it was a bread-and-veggies exclusive. I had a sausage stuffing at someone else’s Thanksgiving, served by a German grandmother. It was incredible; I never knew what I was missing! The sausage added texture to the traditional flavors, and there isn’t much that pork doesn’t improve.
After making this a few times, I have enjoyed it most when I have used a mix of hot Italian and mild Italian sausages, leaning a bit more on the hot. I like unexpected spiciness it brings to the stuffing. But, the mix is entirely up to you: select according to what your guests’s preferences are.
Sausage and Rustic Bread Stuffing
- 1 lbs Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 2 T unsalted butter, plus more for greasing dish
- 1 large Spanish onion, quartered
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 4-6 C 1″ bread cubes, torn from stale country bread
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 C chicken stock
Preheat oven to 425º. Pulse ornion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until finely chopped. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and break it up into small, bite-sized pieces with a spatula, cooking until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add butter to the grease remaining in the pan, and scrape up the drippings. When the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, and carrots from the food processor. Cook until soft, then add the garlic. Cook for one minue, then remove from heat and fold in the sage and thyme. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the sausage to the bowl. Pour the slightly beaten egg over the mixture, then add the bread and mix to blend everything evenly. Pour the chicken stock over the stuffing and keep stirring. Grease a casserole dish and scrape the stuffing into the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Serves 6 – 8
It’s hard to mess with stuffing because people are so picky about it. This year i tried your stuffing recipe because i wanted to do something new. I’m used to the chestnut stuffing but your rustic bread stuffing turned out quite well. It was very very tasty and moist! thanks for posting the recipe.
@ Oshawa dining guide – I am so glad you made the stuffing and it turned out well! I agree, it’s hard to change up the stuffing. Most of my family thinks the addition of sausage is appalling, but those of us that enjoy it love it. Happy cooking!
Sausage stuffing is so delicious! Yours looks terrific. I bet it was wonderful with your Sage Chicken.
@ Reeni – Thank you! It definitely was great with the sage chicken – perfect holiday season food.
I’d totally have to agree with pork livening up anything! I can’t believe in all my years I haven’t actually had a dressing with sausage in it… I really wanted to make one this year involving chestnuts and sausage, but lets just say the family is very “traditional”
Oh well… there is always next year!
@ Corinne – You know what they say about great minds….
You will definitely enjoy dressing with sausage. I can’t serve it to my family, either, because they’ll only eat either my Grandma’s (with boiled eggs in it!) or Stove Top. Bleccchh! Roast yourself some chicken and use it as an excuse to make some awesome stuffing.
The end of the recipe is cut off, but I’m guessing this should be baked covered with foil for about an hour. Any different suggestions? Looking forward to serving this with a roast pork rack.
@ Rosa – I normally bake uncovered for 30 – 35 minutes to crisp up the top. Thanks for letting me know the end was cut off! I’ve gone back and edited the post to complete it. A roast pork rack sounds divine right now, by the way. Enjoy!