I know I said it about mashed potatoes, but really, is it Thanksgiving Dinner (or Friendsgiving Dinner) without a stuffing on the table?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite Thanksgiving side dish, so I definitely love a mashed potato, and I’d just like to call the stuffing the main dish. K? I wanted to do something a little different with this stuffing recipe, so I used spicy sausage instead of sweet sausage, and it definitely shook it up a little!
I love to take a dish that you expect to taste a certain way and just ever so slightly change it up for a more surprising experience.
This stuffing is a little savory, a little sweet, and has a little bit of heat! It’s so simple, comes together so quickly, and can totally be made ahead and just reheated.
Also, I mean, the leftovers are pretty amazing.
Spicy Sausage Stuffing
Yield: 12 servings | Time: 1.5 hrs
Ingredients
One loaf of bread, cubed into desired size
1.5 c sweet onion, chopped
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp rosemary
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 lb spicy sausage (either a pack of ground sausage, or a pound of sausage links with casing removed)
1/2 to 1 stick of butter
1/2 c dried cranberries
2 3/4 c chicken broth
parsley, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray or lightly with butter. (I vote butter, friends!)
Line a baking sheet with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake the cubed bread, if fresh, for about 7 minutes, just to take the moisture out of the bread. Set aside in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat up 3 tbsp butter in sautee pan. Once melted, add onions, carrots and celery. Sautee until soft and onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add butter if the pan gets dry.
Add herbs and salt, pepper to your mirepoix mixture. Add 1 tbsp butter and the sausage. Brown the sausage, about 8 minutes. Add butter as needed to keep the pan from drying out.
Remove from heat and add the sausage and vegetable mixture to the bread along with the broth and cranberries. Mix well and place in prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.
Remove foil and continue to bake until bread is golden.
To serve right away, just add chopped parsley to garnish.
To make ahead, allow the stuffing to cool completely, cover with foil and place in the refrigerator. Take out of the fridge for at least 25 minutes before reheating at 350°, for about 10 minutes.
