Why We Love Mushroom Sausage Stuffing
Bread stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, I would go as far as to say if I had to pick just one traditional Thanksgiving recipe to enjoy, it would be a humble baked stuffing. Buttery, carb-acious, herb-infused, and packed with comforting appeal, Thanksgiving dressing is hard to beat! Don’t get me wrong, I love my classic Slow Cooker Stuffing recipe. But today I’m sharing my other favorite stuffing recipe. Although we have several amazing stuffing variations here on A Spicy Perspective, I am incredibly partial to our vegetarian slow cooker version, and this hearty Sausage Mushroom Thanksgiving Stuffing. The mix of sausage and mushrooms is a traditional flavor combo in stuffing recipes. I’m not reinventing the wheel here. Instead I’m just sharing my favorite Sausage Mushroom Stuffing, packed with dense rustic bread cubes and tons of fresh herbs. If you’ve never been crazy about holiday stuffing, give today’s recipe a try this year. I have a feeling I can win you over with this irresistibly rich Thanksgiving Stuffing.
Ingredients You Need
Rustic Italian bread loaf – Pick a heavy, sturdy loaf like Italian country bread or ciabatta. Pork sausage – Use ground Italian sausage or pork breakfast sausage. Button mushrooms – You can use any variety of mushrooms you like! Butter – Because all good stuffing recipes need a little butter. Or a lot. Sweet onion – I like sweet onions, but you can select any onion variety you prefer. Celery – For a well-rounded, comforting flavor. Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme – If these herbs are good enough for Simon & Garfunkel… Chicken broth and eggs – To saturate the bread and hold it together. Parmesan cheese – For a cheesy golden finish. Salt and pepper – Obviously.
How to Make Mushroom Sausage Stuffing
Cube and Dry the Bread – Bread cubes hold their shape best in stuffing, when they’ve had some time to dry out. This can be done as little as one hour before mixing in the other stuffing ingredients, or up to several days ahead. Sauté the Pork and Veggies – Cook pork sausage in butter, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add in all the vegetables and cook until the onions, celery, and mushrooms are very soft. Add Fresh Herbs – We often get questions about fresh herbs versus dry herbs. Everyone wants to know if it’s worth buying fresh herbs even though they go bad so quickly. In short, the answer is yes. Especially on special occasions. I always keep dry herbs for impromptu cooking and slow-simmered stews. Yet for Thanksgiving, go with fresh! Saturate the Stuffing – It takes some liquid to bring all these flavors and ingredients together. A mixture of chicken broth and eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper, is the perfect unifier. Bake – Once you spoon the stuffing into a baking dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake until puffy and golden.
Thanksgiving Stuffing Tips and Substitutions
Although I think this stuffing recipe is sheer perfection as-is, I understand there are times you might need or want to make adjustments.
Yes, you can use any variety of dense hearty bread you like. As for using gluten free bread, just be sure you find one that will hold its shape and texture once dampened with broth. If you are trying to make gluten free stuffing for the first time, I might be tempted to make a mini test-batch a few days ahead to be sure you are not disappointed with your choice of breads. For a truly gluten free recipe, make sure your sausage is also gluten free. For a dairy free version, skip the parmesan cheese and substitute vegan butter. You can also substitute any kind of mushroom and onion in this recipe. If swapping out the pork sausage for another variety, I would stick with ground sausage instead of links. If using a leaner type of sausage you might need to add in a little extra butter or broth, as pork sausage releases fat that aids in the moisture and flavor of the stuffing.
Looking for More Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Perfect Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Stuffing Stuffing In A Bundt Pan Cornbread Stuffing with Apple and Pancetta Herbed Orzo Stuffing Southwest Cornbread Stuffing
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