Onion and Sausage Stuffing

Stale bread cubes are combined with onion, butter, fresh herbs, fresh cranberries, and fried sausage meat. Moistened with stock, whisked eggs, and cheese, this Onion and Sausage Stuffing just might be the most favoured side dish! Bake it in a pan on its own or stuff the turkey with it – this stuffing is delicious both ways!

It seems like a lifetime ago now when I first faced the reality of preparing a vegetarian thanksgiving dinner. At the time, it was the cause of much stress, but as it turns out, it wasn’t difficult at all! My entire life before meeting Johne., celebratory dinners always included a turkey or a ham – some large-scale, impressive meat of sorts. Preparing an entire thanksgiving without it was easier than I thought, and it was probably because it forced me to become familiar with dishes like my Herb Butter Holiday Stuffing! But now it’s my turn! Far from a vegetarian stuffing, this Onion and Sausage Stuffing is one of the tastiest stuffings I’ve ever eaten!

In years past, my vegetarian would pull up a chair and feast (not so happily!) on mashed potatoes. He couldn’t eat the turkey, obviously. The green beans probably had bacon, as did the brussels sprouts. You know the gravy was made from turkey drippings, so that was out. And lastly, most of us have a go-to stuffing recipe that has sausage as a main ingredient. What was a vegetarian to do but sit patiently and wait for the pumpkin pie?

Thanksgiving is my second favourite time of the year. You all know that Christmas wins for first place – hands down! But when it comes to food, Thanksgiving has to be the best! What other time of the year can you eat five different types of roasted root vegetables, a generous helping of stuffing, nap-inducing turkey, all smothered in salty gravy? And not one person will judge you for overeating so much that you have to unbutton your pants. It’s a food lover’s dream!

THANKSGIVING DOES NOT NEED TO BE STRESSFUL!

Many times holiday meals can be stressful. Personally, I think those stresses are brought on by two things. First, we overthink and over plan the meal. If you roast a turkey and prepare just two sides with a good gravy, that’s all you need. Don’t go making five or more side dishes. There’s absolutely no need for it, unless, of course, you thrive on stress like I do!

Secondly, we invite people we don’t really want around our table. We all have one or two family members who cause our blood pressure to rise. I say invite your chosen family! After all, it’s your home and your turkey! Do whatever makes you happy!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my second holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Cranberry Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil
• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to keep the sodium low.
• Onions – White or yellow onions work well. I have used shallots too.
• Sausage – You can use sausage meat or buy sausages and remove the sausage meat from the casing and discard the casing.
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic will give you more flavour.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Herbs – Fresh herbs are important to this stuffing recipe, so I encourage you to not use dried herbs here. You thyme and summer savoury.
• Vegetable Stock – Use low sodium stock if possible.
• Eggs
• Bread – I usually buy the bread a few days in advance so that it has time to get a little stale.
• Cranberries – I like to mix some into the stuffing and save some to dot the top with before baking.
• Cheese – This might seem odd, but shredded cheese makes a great addition to a meaty stuffing.
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray

HOW TO MAKE ONION AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and onions. Cook until the sausage meat is no longer pink. When the sausage is nearly fully cooked, add the garlic, salt, pepper, salt, thyme, and savoury. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the sausage meat mixture from the heat and allow it to cool. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the vegetable stock to a large mixing bowl along with the whisked eggs. Whisk to combine. Transfer the prepared bread to the mixing bowl and gently toss until all of the bread pieces are well coated and the liquid has been almost fully absorbed. Next, add the cooled sausage meat mixture, one cup of the cranberries, cheese, and parsley to the mixing bowl as well. Toss well to combine.

Transfer the mixture to large baking dish which has been well greased with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the remaining half cup of cranberries. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and spray the surface of the stuffing with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes more until stuffing is golden brown. Cover with foil to keep warm until ready to serve. Enjoy!

FOOD, FAMILY (CHOOSEN OR OTHERWISE!) AND MEMORIES – THEY ALL TIE TOGETHER NICELY

Looking back, all holidays were the same for me as a child.  I grew up in Newfoundland where eating is a religious practice.  We all know that eating brings family and friends together. But, when referring to traditional Newfoundland culture, preparing meals for holiday time was a big ordeal.  And nearly every household celebrated with food the same way.

Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and even New Year’s Day, were all days when my mom would prepare a traditional Newfoundland meal.  And depending on the season and what was readily available, the meal was always the same.

She would cook a huge turkey and stuff it with bread-based stuffing. The stuffing is prepared with savoury, which is a traditional Newfoundland spice.  (Many people will suggest that summer savoury is the same thing. But, a true Newfoundlander will argue that it is not!  You can get the real stuff here if you want to try it: Savoury.)

The turkey was served with boiled potatoes, turnips, cabbage, carrots, etc., which were all cooked in the same pot with salt beef.  I’m getting off-topic… The point here is that traditional holiday flavours are what you make it. And, in our home, that involves stuffing baked in a pan, just like this Onion and Sausage Stuffing!

WHAT IS THANKSGIVING WITHOUT LOTS OF SIDES?

For me, Thanksgiving dinner is all about a perfectly roasted turkey with all of the fixings. I always prepare Sauteed Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Rosemary Roasted Radishes. And, of course, my favourite side, stuffing! If I’m not preparing this onion and sausage or my herb butter version, I’m certainly making this Baguette Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions.

Of course, there must be mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and gravy too! So, here we have all of this food and I would always feel guilty that John.e could not completely indulge. In recent years, I’ve prepared a Tofurkey too so that he’s not left out.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!