Nov 9

Nov 9 Ciabatta & Sausage Stuffing

Ciabatta & Sausage Stuffing - The Stiers Aesthetic

I imagine when most people think of Thanksgiving, turkey comes to mind. And while that's true with me, it's not the first thing I start to crave as the big feast approaches. Don't get me wrong, I love a tasty turkey (Check out my Turkey Brine Post Here), but it's the sides that really get me excited!

Stuffing is one of my favorites and this homemade ciabatta and Italian sausage recipe does not disappoint. After I made and photographed this, I enjoyed it all on it's own as dinner! It's super simple to make and uses the perfect blend of classic veggies and herbs that round out the ciabatta and sausage combo.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz. bulk, mild or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 carrot, cut into 1/4" dice and halved
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4" dice (I used about 1 and half stalks)
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons roughly chopped sage
1 loaf (12-oz.) ciabatta bread, cut into 1" pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons of salt and a 2 pinches of black pepper)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet (I used a large cast-iron skillet), over medium-high heat.
Cook sausage, breaking in to medium pieces until browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl and set aside.
Add remaining two tablespoons of butter to skillet. Once melted add carrot, onion and celery, cooking until soft, 5-7 minutes.
Transfer cooked veggies to bowl with sausage and stir to combine.
Add stock, olive oil, parsley, rosemary, sage, bread, salt and pepper and toss to combine. (To ensure the bread soaked up all the yummy goodness, I used my hands to combine)
Spread evenly in a 9 x 13 baking dish - OR - back to your cast-iron skillet, and bake until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Your bread should be slightly crisp on top.
Garnish with parsley.