Jeanne Thiel Kelley,Bon Appétitcontributing editor, says, "My dad makes a great stuffing that has sweet Italian sausage in it. I used to love going with him to get the sausage from Pumas Italian market in Los Angeles. I would pick out a new cookie and come home with a shape of pasta I had never seen before. These days, I don't always get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, so rather than make a wanna-be version of Dad's stuffing, I developed this one, which is pretty darn good."
Ingredients
Makes 12 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread bread on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake until just golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to very large bowl.
Step 2
Cook Italian sausage in large pot over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up pieces with back of fork, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in same large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped fennel, onions and fennel seeds. Sauté until fennel and onions are tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add pears, bell peppers and herbs. Sauté until pears and peppers are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add wine and boil until most liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.(Toasted bread cubes, sausage and fennel mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature; refrigerate sausage and fennel mixture.)Add sausage and fennel mixture to bread cubes. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Step 3
Loosely fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten lightly (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into dish and dot remaining stuffing with 1 tablespoon butter before baking in dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover stuffing. Bake until top is just crisp and golden, about 15 minutes.
To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish. Add enough broth to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish and dot stuffing with 2 tablespoons butter before baking. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer. Top with fennel fronds, if desired, and serve.
How would you rate Sourdough Bread, Fennel and Sweet Sausage Stuffing?
Leave a Review
Reviews (20)
Back to TopOh, just to add to my review above...i didn't use sourdough. I used pre-seasoned stuffing bread from my local grocer. Worked much better than sourdough and very easy to find during the holidays.
Supastar
Ottawa, ON
12/26/2011
Awesome recipe!! I made a few minor changes; I only used one fennel bulb (cored and white parts only) and added celery as no stuffing of this variety should go without celery. I also used medium Italian sausage as most of my guests prefer life on the spicier side ;-) My guy's brother comes to dinner every year just for this stuffing and asks for a doggie bag! You won't go wrong with this recipe. It has become a staple in my recipe book. Completely amaing with turkey or pork. Enjoy!
Supastar
Ottawa, ON
12/26/2011
Delicious! I mostly only use Stuffing recipes as inspiration. Had never made one with pears instead of apples. I also used leeks. The sourdough bread gave it a nice taste too.
crewa
St. Pete, FL
11/28/2011
Love this recipe! Have made it several Thanksgivings now, and it is always a hit. I've made other stuffings as well, but this is the one I keep coming back to.
Anonymous
Mountain View, CA
11/22/2011
I did not really care for the pears. There is a dressing recipe that uses artichokes and parmesan that we like better.
wingedft
3/3/2011
This stuffing is outstanding...it's time consuming, but definitely worth the work.
bdurik
Algonac, MI
11/23/2009
Maybe I did something wrong but this was not great. It also made a ton of stuffing-most went into the trash!
Anonymous
Victoria BC
10/8/2007
I always thought my Mom's stuffing was the best, but since I tried this recipe three years ago, it's become the absolute favourite of friends and family.
katharsis
Ottawa, Canada
9/24/2007
Phenomenal! My company from last year called ahead to make sure that the same stuffing would be on the table this Thanksgiving. I used hot Italian sausage instead of sweet and there was not a bite left. I prefer it with the hot over the sweet, though both get highest reviews.
Anonymous
Miami Beach, FL
11/11/2006
This dish became a staple for my household in 1999 when I first saw the recipe in Bon Appetit. And, not just a staple for my family, but for everyone who has ever been invited to our house for Thanksgiving. It is simply the best stuffing recipe I have ever encountered. A bit time consuming, but it is completely worth it. The only change I made is using hot Italian sausage vs. sweet. Everything else is absolutely PERFECT!!!
lmmclennan
San Diego, CA
4/8/2005
This dressing became a staple as of November 26 2002. I used sweet turkey sausage, and a 12 grain bread instead of sourdough. I chose red and yellow bell pepper. The outcome was a dressing so beautiful in color and texture that people actually stopped to admire it. Next year I'll serve it in a cut glass bowl.
Lisa
Middletown NJ
12/2/2002
This has become a family tradition. Using a food processor for everything but the bread and pears not only makes the recipe easier but it allows all the flavors to come through in every bite. It's really wonderful.
Anonymous
Portland, OR
12/1/2002
I used only one Fennel Bulb and substituted celery for the second Bulb. Increased Fennel seeds to about 3 Tablespoons. Used two whole loaves of sour dough and added portobello mushrooms, omitting the pears. A huge hit. This stuffing will now become our family staple. Be sure to add a substantial amount of chicken stock to stuffing that is being cooked in a separate pan. I did and it turned out beautifully!
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
10/7/2002
I found the sausage in this stuffing to be overpowering. We did a test run of Thanksgiving, and prepared this stuffing with the turkey with pan shallot gravy recipe (also on Epicurious). The gravy from the turkey helped tone down the sausage flavor. If you want to try something new for Thanksgiving, this would be a good bet. If you prefer your Thanksgiving to be a little more traditional, I would not recommend this recipe.
Anonymous
Vista, CA
9/30/2002
Excellent. I skipped the pears, as I do not like fruit in my stuffing. The fennel added so much taste! Made day before and added some extra broth and butter right before baking.
Anonymous
Sergeantsville, NJ
11/26/2001
