Sausage Stuffing

Just in time to start planning your Thanksgiving menu - here's a really great stuffing recipe. I don't know about everyone else, but the Thanksgiving dish that is most intimidating to me (besides the turkey) has always been the stuffing. I'm not sure why, but it just seems like it should be complicated. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's really nothing to be afraid of.

And little did I know that there are so many good variations to stuffing. Not every stuffing has to taste like Stovetop-from-the-box! This recipe in particular is sooo good. It combines really great flavor combinations - sausage, apples, onion, celery. It's really delicious.


And it's nothing to be intimidated by. You can cook it right up in a 9x13 pan and use a loaf of storebought bread - plain or sourdough. Find a nice loaf at your grocery store, cut it up into 1-inch cubes, and place them on a pan or two in the oven to crisp them up. The rest is a piece of cake, truly. So if you're looking for a delicious and unique stuffing recipe to add to your Thanksgiving menu, give this a try!


Sausage Stuffing
(adapted from Ina Garten)

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 and 1/2 pound loaf)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (or, use a combination of sweet and spicy sausage)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on one or two sheet pans and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

4. In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

5. Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.