Rustic Sausage Stuffing
Stuffing is the quintessential Thanksgiving side dish. Ours combines sausage and a plethora of vegetables for a rich yet rustic side dish that will please your guests!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 loaves brioche bread cubed
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 shallot chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lb ground Italian sausage
- 2 leeks thinly sliced or 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 ribs celery sliced
- 1 piece fennel thinly sliced (including frawns)
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves removed from stems
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Spread cubed bread on a baking sheet and sit on countertop overnight to dry out. If time doesn’t permit, skip this step and dry out in oven as directed below.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread cubed on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread is dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3 Tbsp butter and let melt. Add shallots and sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sausage. Break up sausage with spatula or back of wooden spoon. Cook until lightly browned, 7-8 minutes, mixing frequently. Use a slotted spoon and remove sausage mixture from pan. Set aside.
- Return skillet to stove and heat over medium heat. Add remaining 3 Tbsp butter to skillet and let melt. Add leeks, cooking 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add carrots, celery and fennel, mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary. Cook additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add vegetables to sausage mixture. Mix in fresh thyme and sage. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 1/2 cups broth and heavy cream.
- Transfer stuffing mixture to large bowl. Add bread cubes. Pour egg mixture offer top and toss to coat. Mix in Parmesan and Gruyère. Assess consistency of mixture. If needed, add more broth (1/2 to 1 cup) if mixture looks dry.
- Generously grease a large baking dish. Transfer mixture to dish.
- Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until golden, about 30 minutes. In last 5 minutes of cooking time, add additional Gruyère and Parmesan to top. Bake until melted.
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