Stuffing is the only side dish that shouts “holiday.” And, let’s face it, getting the stuffing for your Thanksgiving turkey just right is nearly as crucial as getting the bird just right.
As a stuffing side, you can’t go wrong with this smoked sausage filling with typical roast flavors of sage and thyme.
There’s a lot of dispute regarding whether stuffing cooked in a skillet or stuffing cooked in the bird is better. We chose the pan method for this dish because we like the crunchy pieces on top!
Contents
- How to make Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs
- Need a few tips for buying and cooking that turkey?
- FAQs
- What is herb stuffing made of?
- Can you make sausage meat stuffing the day before?
- How do you keep stuffing moist?
- What makes stuffing taste better?
- Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh for stuffing?
- Why do you put eggs in stuffing?
- What is Pepperidge Farm stuffing made of?
- Is it OK to leave uncooked sausage out overnight?
How to make Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs
1. Prep the garlic
Because we’re using a lot of garlic in this dish, I prefer to roast it first to remove the strong flavor and leave buttery, sweet cloves.
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the garlic head. Then, cover the whole head in foil and bake it for 40 minutes. When cooked, the garlic should be soft enough to squeeze out easily.
2. The bread cubes
There is already a lot of labor that goes into Thanksgiving, so I find it much simpler to delegate the hard work when it comes to the bread cubes, plus the pieces are lovely and consistent.
Spread the bread cubes in a 9×12 baking pan.
3. Sauté
Cut 2 big celery stalks and 1 medium yellow onion into tiny dice.
In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the celery and onions, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until softened, approximately 10 minutes.
Remove from the pan and top with the bread cubes.
Add the pork sausage to the pan and brown it fully over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon.
Once cooked, put it in a basin and drain off any extra oil.
Add the chicken stock, roasted garlic, unsalted butter, parsley, sage, and thyme to the same skillet. Stir everything together and scrape the bottom of the pan to get the sausage crumbs out. For a few minutes, bring to a simmer.
Stir gently to incorporate the cooked sausage and chicken stock mixture with the breadcrumbs in the baking pan.
4. The cook
Cover the baking pan with foil and place it in a smoker set to 350°F.
Cook for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes.
The foil is used to produce a little steam, which softens the bread crumbs, and the final 10 minutes are exposed to crisp up everything on top and receive a short kiss of smoke.
Need a few tips for buying and cooking that turkey?
- When to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving
- The best 11 mail order turkeys
- How to thaw a frozen turkey
- 10 tips for smoking a whole turkey
- 9 best turkey rub recipes
- How to carve a turkey
