A delicious savory side dish perfect for your holiday table. The inside of this sausage stuffing is buttery and soft, filled with herbs, sausage, and cranberries, and the top is crispy and golden. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECIPE WITH THE PLAYER BELOW.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon softened butter to butter the bottom and sides of a 9x9 glass baking dish.
In a large skillet melt the ½ cup butter (1 stick) over medium, med-low heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and sauté until soft (this will take about 10 minutes).
1 Large Onion, 1 cup Celery, ½ cup Salted Butter
Add the sausage and cook until the sausage is no longer pink – breaking it up into small pieces. Drain excess grease.
1 pound bulk pork Sausage
Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, rosemary, Italian parsley and dried cranberries.
4 large garlic cloves, 1 ½ tsp. Kosher Salt, ½ tsp. Black Pepper, 1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning, 2 Tbsp. Fresh Sage, 1 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, ¼ cup Fresh Italian Parsley, 1 cup Dried Cranberries
Put the dried bread cubes in a large bowl, pour the sausage/onion/herb mixture in and toss to coat t he bread cubes evenly.
12 Cups Stale White Bread
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the chicken broth and the eggs together. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes tossing to evenly coat and make a stuffing that is moist and just barely holds together.
2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups chicken broth or stock
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared 9x9 pan.
Cut the remaining 2 tablespoon butter into 8 cubes. Dot the top of the stuffing with the cubed butter. Make Ahead Tip: at this point you can cover and refrigerate for 24 hours if you are making ahead.
Cover the stuffing with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.Pro Tip: if you want an even more golden crisp to the top and edges turn the broiler on for the last minute or two.
Video
Notes
Options for Stale White Bread:Use a good quality hearty white bread like Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White, Butter or Potato Bread, or Sara Lee Artesano White (12 cups = 1 loaf Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White).To dry your bread for Sausage Stuffing use one of these options:
Overnight– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and let it sit on a sheet pan, on the counter overnight.
Quick Method– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and spread on a large sheet pan. Dry in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes so it doesn’t brown. (You will have time for this while the onions and celery soften!)
Doubling - If you are hosting a large crowd, you can absolutely double this recipe. Just make it in a larger 9x13 dish. The baking time will be the same.Additional Tips to Make It The Best!
Use quality bread that is cut into 1 inch cubes.
Properly dry/stale the bread cubes so they soak up the butter, sausage, and broth without getting soggy.
Definitely use fresh herbs (parsley, sage and rosemary). It adds such a great flavor to your stuffing.
Don't skimp on the butter!
Use the sausage that you like. A sage flavored sausage makes a great choice for stuffing.