How to Make Stuffing from Scratch

Recipe for Stuffing from Scratch:

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 60 minutes
• Ready in: 70 minutes
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 16 Sister Schubert’s® Dinner Yeast Rolls, thawed
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/4” cubes.
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut rolls into 1” cubes and spread onto baking sheets. Toast in oven, stirring and rotating baking sheets halfway through, for 20-25 minutes, until rolls dry out and start to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
• While rolls toast, brown sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, breaking up sausage with wooden spoon until crumbled. Once browned, remove sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add butter to pot. Once melted, use wooden spoon to scrape up browned sausage bits from pan.
• Add leeks, onion, celery, herbs, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to melted butter. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and apple and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove pot from heat and fold walnuts and cubed rolls into mixture, a handful at a time, until well-combined.
• Slowly pour chicken broth over stuffing mixture, stirring after every 1/4 cup to make sure bread is absorbing stock evenly. Stop pouring broth when all bread is moistened but not soggy.
• Spread stuffing mixture into large, greased casserole dish, and spread butter cubes evenly over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered, until top is golden brown.

Dos and Don’ts / Things to Note:

• If time allows, cube bread 1-2 days before and leave out, uncovered. Then you can skip the first step of toasting the rolls.
• As an alternative to Italian sausage, you can use bacon, chorizo, breakfast sausage or oysters.
• Make it vegetarian by using mushrooms instead of meat.
• To add even more flavor, substitute bacon fat or lard for the butter.
• You can add other fresh herbs, like parsley, marjoram, oregano, if available.
• Mix in beaten eggs for a denser stuffing, but that increases baking time and requires temperature monitoring.
• Always toast nuts to maximize their flavor.
• Substitute different nuts, like almonds or pecans, or add in cranberries and golden raisins.
• Add other vegetables, like carrots, with the onions and leeks.
• Oven temperature and cooking time can be adjusted if stuffing cooks alongside other dishes that require a different oven temperature.