Staci's Sausage Stuffing for a Crowd
Use your favorite breads. Stuffing or dressing, whatever you want to call it, screams Thanksgiving. Prepare the stuffing a day in advance and bake it the day of your feast. The sausage adds heartiness and is a meal in itself with a side of vegetables.
Equipment
- large roasting pan
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground bulk pork sausage, fully cooked, reserve 1 tablespoon of fat
- 1 lb ground Italian pork sausage, fully cooked, reserve 1 tablespoon of fat
- 4½ cups chopped celery
- 2¼ cups diced yellow onion
- 2¾ cups salted butter, 5½ sticks
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease, optional
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke, optional
- 5 teaspoons dried sage , or 6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 4 teaspoons dried thyme , or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 4½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 24 cups bread cubes, 2 to 3 loaves of bread. I use at least two different varieties like white and wheat, wheat and rye, I've used pumpernickel and white, and wheat and cornbread.
Instructions
- Over medium heat, cook the celery and onion in the butter (add bacon grease and liquid smoke if using), stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in about 1/2 to 3/4 of the bread cubes. Keep on low heat while tossing together, getting as much of the bread coated with butter.
- Transfer to a very large bowl or roasting pan. Add remaining bread cubes, seasonings, and the cooked sausage with fat. Toss to combine.
- Transfer to roasting pan and cover. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Keep hot in a crockpot for serving.
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
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