Make Ahead

Virginia Dowd's Savory Sausage Stuffing

November  3, 2009
4.5
4 Ratings
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

This recipe was handed down from my mother-in-law, and is a treasured family recipe. So now I guess you are part of the family, too. —Deborah Dowd

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound bulk pork sausage
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 3-4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 packet herb seasoned stuffing mix
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon Poultry seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
  • 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • Pepper to taste
  • Giblets and heart chopped into small pieces(you can leave this out if you don't like giblets, but you will lose a layer of flavor)
  • 2 heels of white bread
Directions
  1. Melt butter in pan and begin browning sausage, breaking up as you work.
  2. Add onions and celery and giblets and saute slowly until vegetables are translucent, giblets are browned and all pink is gone from sausage.
  3. Put stuffing mix in a large bowl. Pour sauteed veggies and meat in bowl with stuffing mix and stir together.
  4. Add two cups of stock and stir, then add beaten eggs. Add salt, pepper,and other seasonings. I start with a teaspoon each of poultry seasoning and sage (but I really love sage!). Add chopped parsley.
  5. Add more stock until stuffing is moist but not soggy. Adjust seasonings to taste (make sure to use a clean fork each time you (or anyone else) tastes).
  6. I stuff my stuffing into the bird and cover the large cavity with two white bread heels (Once the turkey is done, this "turkey bread" is a prized morsel in our house!) If you don't like the stuffing in the bird, cook in covered casserole for 40 minutes, then take the cover off and let the top brown for last 10 minutes.
  7. Cook turkey according to directions- I use Alton Brown's instructions for cooking the turkey - it works for me!
  8. Spoon stuffing out of bird before carving.

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1 Review

Food B. November 4, 2009
Thanks for sharing this family treasure. Our family stuffing is meatless, but I'm sure the salty pork sausage in this recipe makes it a standout.