Seriously, my people. This Make Ahead Turkey Stuffing with Italian Sausage will be the hit of your next turkey dinner. And the best part is you can make it ahead. You know The Jersey Girl always loves prep plan!
The elements that make this stuffing Numero Uno are the Italian sausage factor and tons of butter and broth. I use sweet sausage because not everyone in the extended fam has a taste for spicy, but I do add a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
This stuffing gets rave reviews, and I’m so glad I FINALLY have gotten the recipe together to share with you!
Make-Ahead Stuffing with Italian Sausage
Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
servings20
minutes20
minutes30-40
minutesIngredients
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled into bite-size pieces
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking pan and for topping the stuffing before baking
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, chopped into 2-inch long pieces
3/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus another cup to 2 cups to be added before baking
2 bags Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned classic stuffing mix (24 oz. total for 2 bags)
Pinch of red pepper flakes (if desired)
Directions
- In a food processor fitted with the blade, add onion quarters, celery pieces and parsley. Pulse until finely chopped. You may need to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- In a large, high rimmed pan, brown sausage crumbles over medium heat. Season with red pepper flakes, if using. Once browned, remove sausage to a paper lined dish to drain of oil.
- Return pan to medium heat. Melt stick of butter. Once bubbling and melted, add chopped onion, celery and parsley. Cook for 3-5 minutes until glistening and fragrant.
- Add five cups of chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a boil. Carefully add stuffing mixture. (Please note: You may need to divide the mixture into two pans if your pan is not large enough. You may also just add 3/4 of the contents of the second bag.) Stir in the stuffing mixture to soak up liquid. Add in sausage and stir until evenly distributed.
- Grease a l5-by-9-by-3-inch baking dish. (You may want to use two baking dishes if the mixture exceeds the dimensions of one baking dish).
- Cover with aluminum, and store in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- On day of baking, remove aluminum foil. Drizzle stuffing mixture with remaining chicken broth. Dot with butter cubes (about 10-12 1/4-inch cubes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover again with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Serve with turkey!
Please note: If baking the day of making the stuffing. Skip refrigeration, and bake covered for 30 minutes.
