Fruited Sausage Stuffing Recipes

EASY SAUSAGE & HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
• Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl.
• In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the vegetables to the stuffing cubes. (Don't wash the pan but scrape out every last bit of vegetables, otherwise they will burn in the next step.)
• In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a metal spatula while cooking (the largest pieces should be no greater than ¼-inch). Add the browned sausage and fat to the bread cubes and vegetables.
• Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.
• Note: If you can't find bulk sausage, simply buy regular sausage and remove the casings.
• Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stuffing can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake; follow the baking instructions in the recipe. It can also can be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. When you're ready to serve it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.

SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Cook sausage. Drain.
• Melt margarine. Add enough to sausage drippings to make 1 cup.
• Saute; onions and celery in margarine/dripping mixture until onion is tender. DO NOT BROWN. Stir in about 1/3 bread cubes. Put in big bowl and add remaining bread cubes, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Watch your hands, it's hot. Mix well.
• Stuff turkey. You can also omit the sausage, increase the bread cubes to 9 cups, and add a teaspoon or two of salt. You can also add apples, giblets, oysters, etc. This recipe is very adaptable. When cooking extra in the oven, place the stuffing in a buttered casserole dish, and place in a pan of hot water. Cover, and baste with turkey drippings occasionally. It comes out really good.

BEST SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Place sausage in a large, deep skillet; cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage from the skillet and let drain on paper towels. Combine melted margarine with the sausage drippings until there is 1 cup of drippings and margarine combined.
• Cook and stir onion and celery in the margarine-dripping mixture in the same skillet over medium heat until onion is tender but not browned, about 10 minutes . Stir in about 1/3 of the bread cubes. Pour onion mixture into a large bowl and stir in remaining bread cubes, sausage, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Watch your hands, it's hot. Mix well. This stuffing is ready for baking.

SAUSAGE AND DRIED FRUIT STUFFING

Steps:

• Soak the diced dried cherries and apricots in 1 cup of Triple Sec in a small saucepan (unheated) for 10 minutes.
• Bring to a dried fruit/Triple Sec mixture to a boil on the stovetop. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
• Brown the sausage in a large skillet, and then add the celery and onion and saute for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove to cool.
• Toast the slivered almonds in the oven- watching closely for them to brown (be careful- they turn from toasted to burnt very quickly!) After the almonds have cooled, dice them by hand or in a food processor.
• In a large bowl mix together the stuffing mix, sausage, celery and onion, the dried fruit and liquid, and the almonds. (I found it easies to do this in two batches)
• Heat the butter, chicken stock, and remaining ½ cup of Triple Sec in the same saucepan as used before, until the butter melts.
• Pour this over the stuffing mixture and then stir to make sure all of the bread cubes are moistened.
• Bake in a 13 x 9 pan at 350 degrees, for a total of 15 minutes (10 minutes covered in foil, 5 minutes uncovered).

INDIVIDUAL SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Make stuffing mix according to the package instructions, but use low-sodium chicken broth instead of water and add cubed chorizo or andouille sausage and a handful of chopped hearty herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Divide the mixture among individual ramekins or muffin tins and bake. If you're using a stovetop stuffing mix, prepare the stuffing, then spoon it into ramekins and heat in a 300 degree F oven for a few minutes, until crusty on top.

HERB STUFFING WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cut or tear the bread into bite-size pieces. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into a single layer. Bake until slightly dry and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried fruit, sage, thyme, apple, onion, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.
• Add the toasted bread to the onion mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Stir in the egg. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and evenly spread without packing the stuffing down too much. Bake until the top is crusty, about 40 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the top. Continue to bake until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and thyme.

FRUIT AND NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Place prunes, apricots, raisins, and currants in a medium bowl; pour bourbon over fruit. Cover with plastic wrap, and soak overnight.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over moderate heat; add apples, onions, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and celery is tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; add nuts. Toast them, stirring constantly, until golden.
• Transfer sauteed onion mixture to a large bowl. Add brioche and broth; mix until incorporated. Add macerated fruit, toasted nuts, cranberries, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, parsley, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Using 2 large spoons or your hands, gently mix stuffing until evenly blended. Set aside while turkey is prepared for roasting.

FRUIT & NUT ANDOUILLE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add sausage, dried fruit, walnuts and pepper; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned. Add stuffing cubes; toss to combine. Stir in enough water to reach desired moistness., Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH SUMMER SAVORY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees, and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Boil potatoes in salted water until just cooked through but still firm in center. When cool, cut into 1-inch dice. Set aside.
• Melt remaining butter and oil together in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery, and cook, stirring, until softened. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent browning.
• Raise heat to medium-high, add sausage and cook, stirring, using a wooden spoon to break up clumps. When sausage has browned slightly add potatoes, and continue cooking until they are incorporated and slightly browned. Add bread cubes, and mix.
• Add about half the broth, and mix. If needed, add more to soften bread cubes and to bind the stuffing together. Add salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon summer savory. Taste, and add more savory if desired.
• Turn into buttered dish. If mixture seems dry, drizzle on remaining stock. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until firm and crusty. (The stuffing is even better if mixed in advance, kept refrigerated and baked just before serving.)

SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Put sausage in skillet and cook, breaking up any lumps, until the meat has lost its raw look.
• Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Meanwhile, peel apples; remove and discard stems and cores. Cut apples into quarters. Cut apple quarters crosswise into very thin slices. There should be about 3 cups.
• Add apples and stir. Add toasted bread cubes, salt and pepper. Add sage, broth and parsley. Cover and cook over low heat about 10 minutes. Add butter and egg and blend well. Remove from heat and keep warm.

SAUSAGE, CRANBERRY, AND PECAN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast bread in a large shallow baking pan in middle of oven until dry and pale golden, about 20 minutes.
• Cook sausage in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up large lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
• Add butter to fat remaining in skillet and cook onions, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add celery, apple, and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage and stir in bread, pecans, cranberries, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3- to 4-quart shallow baking dish and drizzle with broth. (Use 1 1/2 cups broth if you like a moist stuffing, 1 cup if you prefer it drier.) Cover with foil and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until bread is golden and stuffing is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes more.

DRIED FRUIT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place bread cubes in very large bowl. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery to skillet; sauté until vegetables are tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add Sherry, figs, cherries, apricots, sage, thyme and rosemary; cook until fruit is tender and liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Add to bread cubes; stir to blend. (Stuffing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Add stock to stuffing; season with salt and pepper. Mix in beaten eggs.
• Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top begins to crisp, about 25 minutes longer.