Description
A savory sausage stuffing recipe featuring toasted bread cubes, Italian sausage, aromatic herbs, and optional dried cranberries, baked to golden perfection. Perfect for holiday meals or a comforting side dish.
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 — substitute with 1/4 cup broth
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for toasting the bread cubes and for baking the stuffing later.
- Toast Bread Cubes: Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until dried and lightly toasted. Transfer the toasted bread to a very large mixing bowl.
- Cook Sausage: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking it apart with a fork, and cook for about 10 minutes until browned and fully cooked. Add the cooked sausage to the bowl with bread cubes.
- Sauté Vegetables and Herbs: In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened and fragrant.
- Deglaze and Reduce: Pour in the white wine (if using) and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the chicken stock to combine all flavors.
- Combine Mixture: Add the beaten egg and dried cranberries (if desired) into the pan mixture. Pour everything over the bread and sausage mixture. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the bread has absorbed the liquid evenly.
- Bake Stuffing: Transfer the stuffing mixture to a 9×12-inch baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the top is browned and the center is hot. Serve warm.
Notes
- Drying the bread cubes before mixing is essential to prevent a soggy stuffing—toast in the oven or use day-old bread.
- Choose your preferred sausage type such as sage pork, sweet, or spicy Italian to adjust flavor.
- If you prefer a non-alcoholic option, substitute the white wine with additional chicken broth.
- For extra texture and sweetness, add dried cranberries, but they are optional.
- Ensure the vegetables are fully softened before adding the liquids to build depth of flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
