When it comes to Thanksgiving side dishes, you usually have two camps of people. The mashed potato lovers, and the stuffing lovers. If you’re part of the latter, you are going to love this recipe.
Marguerite Henderson shares the how-to for this traditional Italian sausage stuffing. Even those in the mashed potato camp can get in on this side!
Traditional Italian Sausage Stuffing
Makes enough for stuffing a 12-14 lb. bird, serving 8-10. You might want to double the recipe so you have enough for leftovers the next day, and to bake in a separate pan after stuffing the bird.
Ingredients
- 1 pound sliced quality white bread
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1-tablespoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (I like the spicy, but use whatever works for you)
- 1-quart whole milk
Directions
Cut the bread into 1” cubes; bake on baking sheet in 200o oven for 10-15 minutes until dry, but not toasted. Or leave out overnight to dry on baking sheet.
Set aside in a large bowl. In large saucepan, heat the butter and sauté the onion until soft, about 10 minutes on low, stirring often. Add dried oregano, fennel seeds and ground pepper.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat; add bread to onion mixture, cook for 5-8 minutes until coated with butter and golden brown.
Transfer to a bowl. Add Italian sausage to saucepan, cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the bread to the sausage, stir to coat evenly. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Do this the night before.)
When ready to stuff the turkey, add enough whole milk to the mixture to soften, but DO NOT make it soggy. Stuff cavities of bird loosely and put remaining stuffing in baking dish. Bake extra stuffing at 350o for 30 minutes covered with foil. Serves 6-8.
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