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Pork Sausage Dressing

November 20, 2020 by hapagirl 20 Comments

This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!

This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!

No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without the dressing. Though, before we jump in, let’s clarify the terms ‘stuffing’ and ‘dressing’. Growing up we always called it stuffing, no matter how it was prepared. But apparently there is a difference. They’re both constructed the same way; the difference lies in the method of cooking. Stuffing is cooked inside of the bird, whereas dressing is cooked separately, usually in a baking dish. The problem with cooking stuffing in the bird, is the increased risk of salmonella bacteria seeping into the porous bread and not cooking through. Growing up, you probably had stuffing cooked in the turkey every Thanksgiving and it never made anyone sick – I know that was the case with our family. However, it only takes one time…  and no one wants the distinctive title of ‘the person that sent everyone to the hospital on Thanksgiving’. So these days, I make dressing.

This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!

Ok back to the dressing.  Like a savory bread pudding, the bread soaks up all of the wonderful flavors you add.  Dressing comes in numerous varieties – some are made with dried fruit, vegetables, or even oysters. My personal favorite is Pork Sausage Dressing. Whatever your fancy, the star is always the bread. However, it’s not the bread on it’s own that’s so delicious (although I have never met a bread I didn’t like) it’s all of the wonderful flavors in this recipe like pork, apple, sage, and thyme that infiltrate every little pore in the bread that make it so moist, tender, and resulting in such incredible flavor!  

Turkey Roulade

This turkey roulade with dressing is perfect for a smaller Thanksgiving table!

When selecting a bread, you may assume that you want a fancy artisanal variety. However, think of the bread as being a vehicle for flavor, rather than adding flavor. Artisanal breads are generally chewy and have larger holes – not ideal for soaking up the surrounding flavors and adding a custard-like consistency. Likewise, whole-grain bread is too rough in texture. Believe it or not, the secret to amazing dressing is a simple good-quality white sandwich bread!  It’s soft, pillowy, and has a fine hole structure, which makes for better flavor absorption and retention. Use a thick slice, if you can find it.   

This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!

 

Pork Sausage Dressing
 
Recipe Type: Sides
Author: Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 6-8 people
This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!
Ingredients
  • 3/4 pound pork sausage, casings removed
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 large celery stalk, 1/4-inch slice
  • 1 granny smith apple, cored, 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1 loaf (about 1 1/4 lbs, 567 grams) white bread*, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spread the cubed bread out on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes, or until bread is lightly toasted.
  3. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the pork sausage. Stirring frequently, breaking the pork up into small pieces. Cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Reheat the sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the onion and celery – scraping up all the brown bits from the sausage. Stir occasionally until the onion is fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the apple and pecans, and cook for another 3 minutes.
  6. Add the bread and pork, carefully toss to combine. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, sage, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Transfer the dressing to a large baking dish and cover with foil. Bake on the center rack for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and keeping the rack in the center, set the broiler to high. Cook under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, just long enough to brown and slightly crisp the top of the dressing (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn the top). Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy!
Serving size: 6
Notes
*When selecting a bread, you may assume that you want a fancy artisanal variety. However, think of the bread as being a vehicle for flavor, rather than adding flavor. Artisanal breads are generally chewy and have larger holes – not ideal for soaking up the surrounding flavors and adding a custard-like consistency. Likewise, whole-grain bread is too rough in texture. Believe it or not, the secret to amazing dressing is a simple good-quality white sandwich bread! It’s soft, pillowy, and has a fine hole structure, which makes for better flavor absorption and retention. I used a nice loaf of white bread from a bakery.[br][br]* The bread should be dried out before using. This allows for better absorption while retaining the breads structure – the perfect dressing will allow for maximum retention of liquids without becoming a big pile of mush. You’ll want to cube and toast the bread in a 350 degree F oven for 7 – 8 minutes.[br][br]**If you are making this dressing for the [url href=”http://hapanom.com/roasted-turkey-roulade/?preview=true&preview_id=4704&preview_nonce=49ecc35401″ target=”_blank”]Roasted Turkey Roulade[/url], do not bake the dressing (omit step 6).
3.4.3177

 

 

This moist and tender Pork Sausage Dressing is a stand-out dish on any Thanksgiving table!

Filed Under: Blog, Dishes, Fall, Pork, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, Western, Winter, Winter Holiday Recipes Tagged With: apple, bread, celery, dressing, holiday, pork, sausage, side, stuffing, Thanksgiving

« Roasted Turkey Roulade
Leftover Turkey Bao (Steamed Buns) »

Comments

  1. Eileen says

    December 19, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Would you recommend doubling this receive to serve more people. Also how far do you take the Receips if making day ahead?. If don’t add cream or stock?

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      December 19, 2016 at 2:36 pm

      Hi Eileen! I have made this dressing the day before – assembling it all the way through (stock and cream included) and stopping just before baking. In fact, I think letting all of the ingredients meld overnight makes it even better! The next day, before baking, just take a look at the dressing – if the bread has soaked up all of the liquid and looks a little dry, just add a bit more chicken stock (not too much, just enough to moisten). And yes, you can double the ingredients in this recipe. However, I would divide the dressing equally among two baking dishes/baking tins. Trying to jam all of that dressing into one baking dish may not only alter the baking time too much, but then dry out the top of the dressing, while leaving the center undercooked. So use two baking dishes and alternate and turn the dishes halfway through to ensure even cooking. Cook for the stated time in the recipe, making sure it’s golden-brown.

      Reply
  2. Sabrina says

    November 27, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    Great dressing recipe! I think I should start making stuffing/dressing even if Thanksgiving’s over.

    Reply
  3. Nagi@RecipeTinEats says

    November 20, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Hi Kathleen! I’m making Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow 🙂 Can I make this today up to the point before baking it? I feel like it will be ok but just wanted to double check! 🙂

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 20, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Oh that’s fantastic, Nagi! It’s custardy-like dressing so yes, I think preparing the night before and baking the day of will be just fine 🙂

      Reply
  4. Meggan | Culinary Hill says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    White bread… sausage…. yum. I love the addition of an apple for extra crunchy and a touch of tangy sweetness! We are pretty strict about the type of stuffing served at Thanksgiving (no deviations) but I like to make it year-round and I can’t wait to try your version! I repeat: White bread and sausage. Yum.

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      December 2, 2014 at 8:13 am

      Ooo, you make stuffing year-round!? Can I come to your house!? 😉

      Thanksgiving is great for traditions! I hope you enjoy this version off-season 🙂

      Reply
  5. Mira says

    November 12, 2014 at 6:19 pm

    This dressing sounds great! I like pork sausage and the addition of apples is a great idea. Never thought of the risk of salmonella, but I never cook whole turkey, that’s probably why! Pinned 🙂

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 13, 2014 at 12:44 pm

      Thanks – I love the combination of pork and apples! I grew up with stuffing cooked in the bird, and never got sick. But better be safe than sorry – especially if you have a boat load of people you’re serving!

      Reply
  6. The Beer and Food Project says

    November 11, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    This looks delicious! A German style Bock such as Anchor Bock or Hinterland Maple Bock would pair nicely with this. Your recipe will likely find it’s way onto TBAFP’s Holiday table! Thanks!

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 12, 2014 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks! My husband grew up in Germany, so I’m sure he’d love that!

      Reply
  7. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

    November 11, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    You know, I’ve never tried making my own stuffing/dressing, but this post has really made me want to give it a go! I just love all the ingredients you’ve put in there (so tasty!) and reckon I could eat it alone for dinner!
    P.S. I once went to a wedding where most of the guests got food poisoning from re-heated rice. The groom’s brother will forever be remembered (by me at least) as the person who did that to everyone. Poor guy!

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 11, 2014 at 4:32 pm

      Oh please do, it’s so easy! And no worries if you eat it alone for dinner – I’ve been guilty of sneaking bites early in the morning, right out of the fridge!
      Ugh… I feel so badly for the groom’s brother and everyone else in the party! How terrible! I’ve had found poisoning before (a bad oyster) and I’ll NEVER forget it!

      Reply
  8. Annie+@+ciaochowbambina says

    November 11, 2014 at 11:46 am

    I think my kids would disown me if pork sausage dressing were not on the Thanksgiving table! I love this recipe and the addition of the pecans…I need to try that!

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 11, 2014 at 4:28 pm

      Thanks, Annie! The pecans add a really nice texture to the dressing 🙂

      Reply
  9. Culinary Ginger says

    November 10, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    What a delicious dressing this looks and sounds. My neighbor just asked if I had a recipe for a pork dressing so I’ll be passing this along.

    Reply
    • hapagirl says

      November 10, 2014 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Easy Thanksgiving / Christmas Menu (8 dishes) | RecipeTin Eats says:
    November 22, 2015 at 3:38 am

    […] HAVE SIDE: Pork Sausage & Apple Stuffing by Kathleen from Hapa Nom Nom. Still the best stuffing recipe I have tried – even compared […]

    Reply
  2. Genius Easy Juicy Roast Turkey (Dry Brined) | RecipeTin Eats says:
    November 22, 2015 at 3:37 am

    […] Pork Sausage & Apple Stuffing by Kathleen from Hapa Nom Nom. Hands down still the best stuffing recipe I have ever had. Make ahead or on the day, reheat it while the turkey is resting. Also see recipe notes for why I don’t put the stuffing IN the turkey; […]

    Reply
  3. Pork Sausage Apple Stuffing in Pancetta Cups - RecipeTin Eats says:
    December 16, 2014 at 1:20 am

    […] I saw this Pork Sausage Dressing (PS “Dressing” is technically what stuffing that is not stuffed inside poultry is […]

    Reply

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I'm Kathleen and I live in the Atlanta area. In a lifelong search to discover where I belong and what group I identify with, I found that food is the strongest tie that brings us together. On Hapa Nom Nom, food is a kind of connective tissue, bringing my background, family, travels, and tastes together in one delicious bite. Find out more!

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