Tiffany Haney
Sausage stuffing is a staple at holiday gatherings and Thanksgiving dinners. It is a delicious side dish that can be made in a crockpot or slow cooker, freeing up your oven for other dishes. This sausage stuffing recipe is super easy to make and turns out perfectly moist and flavourful. The key ingredients are bread, sausage, vegetables, butter, and seasonings, and the slow cooker does all the hard work for you!
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ease of preparation | Super easy to prepare |
| Stove/oven required | No |
| Ingredients | Bread, sausage, celery, onion, seasonings, butter, chicken broth |
| Bread type | French bread |
| Bread preparation | Cut into cubes, dried out overnight |
| Sausage type | Italian sausage |
| Sausage preparation | Crumbled, raw |
| Vegetables | Onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, apples |
| Spices | Rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram |
| Additional ingredients | Eggs, parsley, chicken stock |
| Cook time | 3-5 hours |
| Cook temperature | Low |
| Stirring | Occasional stirring required |
| Serving | Serve hot |
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the ingredients
Next, you'll need to prepare your vegetables. Chop up some onions, celery, and carrots into small pieces. You can also add other vegetables like mushrooms or apples if you'd like. You can sauté these vegetables in butter beforehand if you prefer them softer, but it's not necessary as they will cook in the crockpot.
For the sausage, you'll want to use Italian sausage, either sweet or hot depending on your preference. You can crumble or break up the sausage into small pieces and cook it in a pan until it's no longer pink. Alternatively, you can add the raw sausage directly to the crockpot without browning it first, as it will cook in the crockpot.
Finally, gather your seasonings and liquids. You'll need butter, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, and chicken broth. You can also add other herbs and seasonings like poultry seasoning, marjoram, or parsley to taste.
Once you have all your ingredients prepared, simply combine them in the crockpot and let it cook!
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Cooking the sausage
Once your vegetables are softened, add in your chosen sausage. You can use Italian sausage, either sweet or hot, or a sage sausage for a smokier flavour. Break up the sausage into the pan and cook until no longer pink, crumbling it as it cooks. You can also brown the sausage beforehand if you prefer, but this is not necessary as the slow cooker will do the work for you.
If your sausage produces a lot of grease, you may want to drain the excess after cooking. Then, stir in a chicken stock mixture. You can use one or two cans of chicken broth, adding a little at a time while mixing, to ensure your stuffing doesn't dry out.
Finally, pour your sausage mixture into your crockpot with the bread stuffing. Gently stir the mixture until combined, then cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
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Combining ingredients in the crock pot
To make sausage stuffing in a crock pot, you'll first want to prepare your ingredients. Dice a loaf of French bread into cubes and leave them out overnight to dry out. You can also toss them in the oven at a low temperature for about an hour if you don't want to wait overnight.
Next, melt some butter in a pan and add in your vegetables and seasonings. Commonly used vegetables include onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, while common seasonings include salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, and marjoram. Sauté these ingredients until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
Now it's time to add the sausage. You can use sweet or hot Italian sausage, either ground or in links. Cook the sausage until it's no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. You may want to drain any excess grease depending on the type of sausage you use.
Once your sausage is cooked, it's time to combine all the ingredients in the crock pot. Place the dried bread cubes in the crock pot first, then pour the sausage mixture on top. Pour in some chicken broth and gently stir everything together until it's well combined.
Finally, cover the crock pot and set it to cook on low for 3 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. The stuffing is done when the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. You can add more chicken broth as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
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Cooking the stuffing
Preparing the Ingredients:
Start by cutting your chosen bread into small cubes. It's best to use stale bread for this recipe, so leave the cubes out overnight to dry out. Alternatively, you can place the bread inside the crock pot and let it sit overnight to stale. If you're short on time, toss the bread cubes in the oven at a low temperature (around 225°F) for about an hour to dry them out. You'll need enough bread to fill your crock pot about halfway.
Mixing the Ingredients:
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken stock if you plan to include them. However, some recipes suggest leaving out the eggs. Melt some butter in a pan and add diced onions, celery, and, optionally, apples. Season with salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. Sauté until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Then, add and cook the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks. You can use Italian sausage, preferably raw, and either mild or hot, depending on your preference. Continue cooking until the sausage is no longer pink.
Combining and Cooking:
Combine the sausage mixture with the bread cubes in your crock pot. Gently stir the mixture until everything is well combined. Cover the crock pot and set it to cook on low for 3 to 5 hours. The cooking time may vary depending on your crock pot, so keep an eye on it. If you have a deep crock pot, stirring the mixture once every hour is a good idea. The stuffing is ready when the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
Final Touches:
Once the sausage and vegetables are cooked, give the stuffing a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. You can add more salt, pepper, or herbs to suit your preference. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the stuffing and stir it in. Let the crock pot cook for another 5 minutes or so before serving. This sausage stuffing is moist, flavorful, and sure to be a hit at your holiday gatherings!
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Serving and storing
Once cooked, you can serve your sausage stuffing straight from the crock pot. If you prefer, transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
This sausage stuffing can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. To do this, make the recipe up to the point of turning the crockpot on, then place the insert of your slow cooker in the refrigerator. Keep the recipe at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below until you are ready to cook it. When you are ready to make it, take it out of the fridge and turn on your slow cooker, adding about 30 minutes to the cook time.
Leftover stuffing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, warm it up in the oven, covered, in a baking dish, or in the microwave. Only reheat the amount of stuffing you want to eat, as leftovers should only be reheated once.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need bread, sausage, vegetables (such as celery, onion, carrots, and mushrooms), butter, and chicken broth or stock. You can also add herbs and seasonings such as sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
No, the beauty of this recipe is that you can add the sausage and vegetables directly to the crock pot without any prior cooking. The crock pot does all the hard work for you!
It typically takes around 3 to 5 hours to cook sausage stuffing in a crock pot on low heat. However, cooking time may vary depending on the model and size of your crock pot, so it's important to refer to the manufacturer's instructions.
Yes, you can make this sausage stuffing recipe up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve, simply reheat it in the oven, covered, or in the microwave.
