Sausage and mushroom sage stuffing

Growing up I was never a huge fan of stuffing on Thanksgiving. It wasn't until my adult years that I realized it was because my family just made the kind from the red box, which doesn't hold a candle to the real deal!

You can find a recipe for a more traditional stuffing on the blog, but last year I wanted to try something different. And I kept seeing recipes for sausage stuffing, which had me intrigued. In the end I combined a few different recipes into this very delicious mashup. 

Because of COVID, in 2020 we didn't get together with family for the holiday. But I love Thanksgiving food, so I decided I'd still make a full meal, completely from scratch. So for dinner we had a smoked turkey breast, this sausage mushroom stuffing (half portion), mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole (here's an amazing one from Cooks Illustrated). Dessert was homemade cheesecake with passionfruit curd. 

And if you're having guests that don't eat meat, feel free to replace the sausage with a meat-free substitute or eliminate it entirely. 

Buen provecho,
Jacqueline

Sausage and mushroom sage stuffing, adapted from Shutterbean, Serious Eats, and my other recipe

Notes: the recipe below is for a half portion of stuffing, which will fit into an 8x8 dish or a 9" cast iron skillet. To feed a crowd, simply double the recipe and bake in a 9x13" rectangular dish (or 10x14" oval). 

I highly recommend preparing the bread in advance to save time on the day of cooking. High quality sandwich bread, soft Italian/French bread, or ciabatta loaf will work. I like to mix up different kinds of bread too. 

To make-ahead, the stuffing can be prepared through step 6 and placed in a buttered baking dish a day in advance. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the stuffing to come to room temperature for at least 1 hour before baking the next day. 

Ingredients

8 to 10 cups bread, cubed into 3/4" to 1" pieces (see note)
4 TBSP butter
3/4 lb Italian sausage or breakfast sausage (removed from casing if bought as links)
half a large onion, diced (~6 oz)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced or sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP minced sage
2 tsp minced rosemary
1/4 cup parsley, divided
pinch red pepper flakes
2 large eggs, beaten (use 3 eggs if doubling the recipe)
2 cups chicken or turkey stock, divided

Directions

1. Prepare the bread (I recommend doing this up to a week in advance): Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Preheat oven to 275°F. Spread bread evenly over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Stagger trays on oven racks and bake until completely dried, about 50 minutes total, rotating trays and stirring bread cubes several times during baking. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store until ready to use.
2. Prepare the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8x8" baking dish.
3. In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking up into smaller pieces as it cooks (largest pieces should be no bigger than 1/4"). Cook, stirring frequently, until only a few bits of pink remain, about 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery, cooking an additional 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sage, rosemary, half the parsley, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook until garlic is softened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add half the stock (~1 cup). 
5. Whisk the remaining 1 cup stock, eggs, and remaining parsley in a measuring cup until completely mixed.
6. Stirring your sausage mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour egg mixture into the pot. Add the dried bread and fold gently until all the bread is moistened. (See note if making this ahead of time.)
7. Transfer to the buttered dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F when inserted into center of dish, about 30 to 40 minutes (closer to 45 minutes if you're doubling the recipe). Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown and crisp on top, 15 to 20 minutes longer.