Sourdough Sausage Stuffing with Sage
This baked sourdough stuffing is crispy on top and soft, not mushy, underneath, with Italian sausage running through every bite. It skips the classic problem of stuffing cooked inside the turkey turning soggy, since this version bakes on its own in the oven. Toasted pecans add crunch, and you can assemble it the night before and bake it right before dinner.
Ingredients
- 10 cups sourdough bread (dried out and torn into pieces (1 lb loaf))
- ½ cup pecans (toasted and chopped)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces Italian sausage
- 2 onions (diced)
- 1 cup celery (diced)
- salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoons fresh sage (chopped)
- ½ cup white wine
- ¾ cups butter (divided)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9 X 13 glass baking dish.
- Tear dried bread into pieces and place in a large bowl. Add toasted and chopped pecans to the bowl.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and cooked through about 7-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl with bread.
- In the same skillet add onions and celery, season with salt and pepper, sage and bay leaf and cook until onions are slightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with bread.
- Reduce heat to medium and add wine to the skillet, scraping up the browned bits. Cook until almost evaporated, about 1 minutes. Add ½ cup of butter, stirring until melted. Pour over bread mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken stock and pour over the bread mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking dish and dot with remaining ¼ cup of butter.
- Cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out hot. Increase temperature to 450º. Remove foil and bake uncovered until golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- If your bread isn't already dry, cut it into cubes and dry it out at 250° for a few minutes before using.
- Assemble this up to a day ahead and refrigerate, then bake right before serving.
Swap sourdough for French bread if you prefer, just avoid sandwich bread since it turns mushy. - Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze and reheat covered at 350° for 5-10 minutes. Don't freeze it unbaked, the texture won't hold up.
Nutrition
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
