Ingredients (~6 Servings)
- ~4 cups bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- ~1 small onion, diced
- ~2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauté the Vegetables
Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat (~350F) and add the stick of butter. Once fully melted and bubbling slightly, toss in the diced onion and chopped celery.
Cook these for ~5-7 minutes. You aren’t looking for browning here; you just want the onions to turn translucent and the celery to soften.
Coat the First Batch of Bread
This step ensures some of the bread becomes fully saturated and acts as a binder.
Take about 1/3 of your torn bread (~1.5 cups) and toss it into the pot with the butter and vegetables. Stir well to coat. The bread will soak up almost all the available butter immediately.
Transfer this buttery bread and vegetable mixture into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
Brown the Sausage
Return the same pot to the burner over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork sausage.
Cook for ~8-10 minutes, using a wooden spoon or meat chopper to break it into small crumbles. You want the fat to render out completely, as this liquid is what hydrates the rest of the bread.
Once the meat is browned and no longer pink, pour the entire contents of the pot (meat AND the rendered fat) into the mixing bowl with the reserved vegetable mixture. Do not drain the grease.
Incorporate Herbs and Remaining Bread
Add the chopped sage, dried thyme, and black pepper to the bowl. Give it a quick stir to distribute the heat and aromatics.
Add the remaining dry torn bread to the bowl. Use your hands or a sturdy spoon to work the mixture together.
The goal is to distribute the fat and sausage evenly so the dry bread absorbs the moisture and the texture stops being crumbly. If it feels too dry, you can add a splash of water or stock, but the fat usually does the job. Serve immediately.
Stovetop Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
~6 Servings
- ~4 cups bread torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- ~1 small onion diced
- ~2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook 5-7 minutes until softened.
- Add 1.5 cups torn bread to pot and stir to coat with butter. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Return pot to medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook 8-10 minutes, breaking into crumbles until browned.
- Pour sausage and all rendered fat into bowl with bread mixture.
- Add sage, thyme, and pepper to bowl and stir.
- Add remaining bread and mix with hands until fat is absorbed and evenly distributed. Serve immediately.
