Bring bold, cozy flavors to your holiday table with this irresistible Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing! Rustic sourdough bread meets savory Italian sausage, buttery chestnuts, and a medley of tender vegetables, all tossed together in a rich blend of broth and eggs. Baked until golden and crispy on top, this hearty side dish is sure to be the star of your festive feast!
Recipe featured on Rachael Ray's Holidays.
Preheat the oven to 350F, arrange the rack in the center of the oven.
Place stale/lightly toasted bread in a large bowl.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a couple turns of the pan of EVOO, once hot add the sausage and with a wooden paddle or spoon break up the sausage as it cooks and brown into smaller pieces. Once sausage is cooked and browned up, remove from the skillet and reserve.
Return the sausage skillet to medium high heat and add the butter to melt. Once melted add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, season with some salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent.
Add the reserved sausage to the vegetables along with the chopped chestnuts, toss to combine. Remove from the heat and let cool a bit.
In a really large mixing bowl combine the stale or toasted bread pieces with two beaten eggs. Add the reserved and cooled sausage, veg and chestnut mixture, toss to thoroughly distribute. Transfer to a large oven safe baking dish that has been lightly buttered, pour the chicken stock evenly across all of the stuffing and place in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until brown and heated through. If not brown enough for you by 30 minutes, turn the oven up to 400F and keep any eye on the stuffing, once browned to your liking, remove from the oven and serve.
