Description
A classic sausage stuffing recipe featuring toasted bread cubes, savory pork sausage, fresh herbs, and aromatic vegetables, baked to golden perfection. Perfect as a hearty side dish for holiday meals or family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 16 ounces bread cut into 1-inch pieces, day old bread if possible
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound sage pork sausage or sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onions finely chopped, from 1 large onion or 2 small onions
- 1 cup celery chopped from 2-3 stalks
- 5 large cloves garlic minced, or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine optional — sub with 1/4 cup of broth
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for drying the bread and baking the stuffing later.
- Toast Bread Cubes: Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes until dried and lightly toasted. Transfer the toasted bread cubes into a very large bowl for mixing.
- Cook Sausage: In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausages for 10 minutes, breaking them up with a fork, until browned and cooked through. Add the cooked sausage to the bowl with the bread cubes.
- Sauté Vegetables and Herbs: In the same pan, melt the butter. Add onions, celery, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened and aromatic.
- Deglaze with Wine: Add the white wine to the pan, if using, and cook until it reduces by half, about 4 minutes, concentrating the flavors.
- Add Stock and Combine: Remove the pan from heat and stir in the chicken stock to combine all flavors. Pour this mixture over the bread and sausage in the bowl.
- Add Egg and Cranberries: Mix in the beaten egg and dried cranberries thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the bread absorbs all the liquid evenly.
- Bake Stuffing: Transfer the stuffing mixture into a 9×12-inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the top is browned and the inside is hot throughout.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve warm as a flavorful side dish to your meal.
Notes
- Dry out the bread beforehand by baking in the oven or toasting to ensure it absorbs the liquid well and holds texture.
- Use your preferred sausage flavor; sage pork, sweet Italian, or spicy Italian all work beautifully.
- Substitute white wine with additional chicken broth if preferred or to keep the recipe alcohol-free.
- Day-old bread works best for stuffing; fresh bread may become too mushy.
- Mix stuffing gently to avoid mashing the bread cubes completely, preserving a nice texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
