The Ultimate Thanksgiving Stuffing
I made my first stuffing in my mid-twenties, when I was invited to Thanksgiving as a guest and was asked to bring the stuffing. I was terrified—I’d never made stuffing before, and honestly, I didn’t even like it. The day before, in a bit of a panic, I called a chef friend and asked, “How do you even make stuffing?” He told me, “Treat it like a panzanella salad.” That advice completely changed everything. Over the years, it’s become one of those dishes people always ask for seconds of (and the recipe, too). It even converted me into a stuffing lover!
Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
1 ½+- Pounds Butter
15 ounces or 8 to 10 Cups of Cubed dried bread
1 Each Large Yellow Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Stalks Celery, small diced
1 ½ Cup Butternut Squash, small diced
1 Pound Ground Italian Sweet Sausage
1 Pound Assorted Fresh Mushrooms (button, crimini, chanterelles, beach, oyster, black trumpets etc)
1 Cup Dried Cranberries (cranraisens)
1 Cup Chestnuts (jarred) diced, or Pine nuts (toasted)
3 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme, chopped
3 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, minced
2-3 Cups Chicken Stock
Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Method
Note: Think of making this stuffing like making a Panzanella Salad (salad of crotons, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil). Prepare all the components separately, then toss them gently with just enough moisture (liquid) to bind them together because you do not want soggy!
Step 1: In a large skillet with 1 tablespoon butter, cook the ground sausage. When sausage is nearly done, remove and set aside.
Step 2: In the same pan, over medium/low heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter; sauté the onion, 2 cloves of garlic and celery together until all is tender, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 3: In same pan, melt another 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, sauté the butternut squash until almost cooked through, tender but still have a bite. Do not brown. Season with salt.
Step 4: In same pan, melt another 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and sauté mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are completely cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Warm Chicken stock with 3 tablespoons of butter so that it is hot and butter is melted. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 6: In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. (Everything except chicken stock mixture) and gently toss. Gradually add in the liquid mixture as you toss the stuffing. Be sure to add just enough liquid to moisten or dress the bread (you do not want soggy bread, bread should still be able to hold its shape). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Step 7: In a large baking dish, grease with butter. Fill dish with stuffing mixture.
Step 8: Bake in oven 350-400 degrees, just until warmed through!
Chef’s note: The oven temperature range is intentional—on Thanksgiving, the oven is usually packed and running at all sorts of temps. Luckily, stuffing isn’t fussy! Everything’s already cooked, so just pop it in the oven until it’s heated through. Or, if you prefer, use it to stuff your turkey.