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Finished baked stuffing in casserole dish with serving spoon.
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4.93 from 28 votes

Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing with Sausage

Traditional bread stuffing with sausage, just like my dad's ~ almost.  A favorite and must have on my Thanksgiving table.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 420kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), more for baking dish
  • 2 lbs good quality white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 20 cups)
  • 4 ribs celery, plus some leafy tops, finely diced (1½ cups)
  • 2 carrots, finely diced (1 cup)
  • 1 sweet onion, finely diced (2½ cups)
  • 1 lb bulk pork breakfast sausage
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 cups homemade turkey stock, or chicken broth or stock
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º.  Spread bread cubes on two large baking sheets and toast for 30 minutes, stirring and rotating pans, until lightly browned and crisp.  Transfer to very large bowl when done.
  • Meanwhile, in large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter.  Pour half the melted butter in a bowl and reserve for later, to brush the top of the stuffing.  To the pan with remaining melted butter, add celery, carrots and onion, a sprinkle of salt, and cook and stir over medium-high heat until softened and starting to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to bowl.  Add sausage to skillet in chunks, and cook, breaking it up with wooden spoon, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  
  • Return vegetable mixture to the skillet and add the sage and thyme, a little salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.  Add 1 cup of stock, cook and stir up any browned bits, until stock is reduced and cooked down by half, about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer sausage mixture to bowl with the toasted bread cubes.  Add remaining 2 to 2½ cups of stock and toss well until bread cubes are evenly moistened.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Spread stuffing into large, buttered baking dish (about 3½ quart size) and brush with the reserved melted butter.
  • Bake in center of oven until heated through and nicely browned, about 1 hour, rotating casserole halfway through.  Let stuffing rest 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

A few things I’m sure of ~ my dad did not make his own bread cubes, he did not use fresh herbs and he most definitely did not put sausage in his stuffing.  But as I make this version, it smells just like his and the sausage is a great addition, much better than oysters.  My dad did make turkey stock, a lot of turkey stock, to moisten the stuffing and for the gravy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 705mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2081IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 3mg