This classic sausage and herb stuffing is a real crowd pleaser. Fresh and dried herb combined with sausage and bread create a side dish perfect for the Holiday table or any Sunday dinner.
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Best Bread for a Dressing Side Dish
Bread. White, wholewheat, wholegrain, or flax bread are all wonderful options.
Just make sure that the bread is a bit stale. If not, leave the bread bag open overnight or cut up and pile on a half sheet pan and dry out in an oven heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Toss the bread cubes halfway through the bake.
Go ahead and use store bought bread for this recipe that has already been dried and cubed. It is easy and works. However, sometimes, I find it is a bit too dry and I add a bit more liquid if needed.
Hearty and Wholesome Holiday Recipe Ingredients
Pan Fried Sausage. I used ground pork today. However, you can use chicken, beef, pork, or turkey sausages. Just remove from the casing and cook like you would with the ground pork. If you love more spice, try a spicy Italian sausage.
Herbs. Today, I used fresh herbs because I planned in advance and had them on hand. However, if you do not have fresh herbs, go ahead, and use dried.
Fresh Herb to Dry Herb Ratio
Dried herbs tend to be more potent than fresh herbs. Therefore, you need a bit less. If a recipe calls for one tablespoon of fresh herbs, use one teaspoon of dried herbs.
Adding Dried Fruit to the Sausage and Herb Dressing
Here is where my dilemma is for my Holiday cooking. Half of the family loves raisins and dried cranberries in their dressing, while others do not.
Therefore, I make one batch and take out about 1 ½ cups and mix that with dried fruit and bake it in a separate container.
That way, everyone is happy. For me, I enjoy this stuffing made with and without fruit.
If you do add dried fruit, I like to soak it in a bit of warm water for about an hour. Then drain the water and add to the mixture. Soaking the fruit in the water will help it rehydrate a bit and I think that it brings out the full-flavor a bit better.
Classic Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Bread Stale and dried out, cut into cubes
- 1 Pound Pork Sausage
- 1 medium Onion Diced
- 2 Ribs Celery Diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Diced, or 2 tablespoons of the pre-diced
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Sage Diced or 2 Teaspoons Dried Sage
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon pepper
- 16 Ounces Chicken Stock
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Diced, or 2 Tablespoons Dried
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Diced, or 1 Teaspoon Dried
- 1 Cup Dried Cranberries or Raisins Optional
- 4 Tablespoons Butter Thin sliced to dot the top before baking
Instructions
- Cube the stale bread and if not already dried out, place on a half sheet pan to bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a skillet brown the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces while cooking. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and sage. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and tender.
- Using a large bowl, mix the chicken stock, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add the bread and sausage mixture. Add the dried fruit if desired. Combine using a spoon or your hand.
- Transfer mixture to a 9 X 13 baking pan that has been sprayed lightly with oil or lightly buttered. Dot the top with the thin sliced butter.
- Bake uncovered for 60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has worked in restaurants for many years. Her many crochet patterns and quilt patterns are enjoyed by many. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.