Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing

Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing is an easy Thanksgiving dish, full of savory sausage, hearty mushrooms and vibrant kale.  You’ll love this flavorful twist on a classic stuffing recipe.

This Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing is my favorite new stuffing recipe to make for Thanksgiving. Chock full of meaty mushrooms, hot spicy sausage and flavorful kale, this stuffing is a delightful twist on my traditional Homemade Stuffing recipe. One of the great things about stuffing is that you can do so many different things with it. Pretty much anything goes! This stuffing recipe is super savory, hearty and filling. And it tastes terrific with turkey!

What are YOUR favorite stuffing ingredients? Are you more sweet or savory? I’d love to hear your ideas, so please leave me a comment below!

HOW TO MAKE STUFFING DIFFERENT WAYS

The roots of this Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing recipe come from Food Network Magazines November 2011 issue. They did this super informative piece on how to make stuffing in different ways and it has totally changed the way I approach making stuffing. What it comes down to is five main criteria:

1. Pick your bread (I used Selmonia in this recipe)
2. A standard base (butter, celery, onions, stock and spices)
3. Eggs and mix-ins (for this recipe I used mushrooms and kale)
4. Pick your favorite Meat (Hot Italian sausage here)
5. More Mix-ins (cheese for this recipe)

Don’t you love recipes that are a standard base that you can change up in tons of different ways? One of these Thanksgivings I will make an entire meal of different kinds of stuffings!

ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR STUFFING

• Try cornbread, rye, whole wheat, Artisan, white, even bagels or frozen waffles can be used as the bread base for your stuffing!
• **TIP!** Make sure to dry your bread out for at least a day or bake it in the oven (see recipe card below). Otherwise you’ll end up with soggy stuffing (yuck!)
• Throw in any veggies and seasonings you like! Try using fresh rosemary, basil, parsley, green peppers, red peppers, diced carrots, green onions, water chesnuts, or fresh spinach. You can even omit the meat and make a complete vegetarian stuffing.
• You don’t have to add meat to stuffing, but I love the savory sausage flavor! Try sweet Italian sausage, regular breakfast sausage, turkey sausage, ground beef or turkey, or even diced ham or tofu.
• Additional mix-in ideas could be: shredded mozzarella cheese, cubed cheese, dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, pecans, dried cherries, or chopped apples.

SERVE THIS SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH THESE THANKSGIVING RECIPES

• Easiest Thanksgiving Menu (this post has all my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in one convenient place. You’ll find easy recipes that will help you pull the whole meal together without pulling your hair out!)
• How to Brine a Turkey
• Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Turkey Breast Recipe
• Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Cranberry Orange Salsa

YUM! I cannot wait for Thanksgiving! Drop me a comment below and share some of your favorite turkey day recipes, and let me know what you think of this stuffing. Happy cooking!

Print Recipe

Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing

Mushroom and Kale Sausage Stuffing is an easy Thanksgiving dish, full of savory sausage, hearty mushrooms and vibrant kale.  You'll love this flavorful twist on a classic stuffing recipe.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sausage stuffing

Servings: 12

Calories: 245kcal

Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

• 16 cups stale bread cubes I use Semolina but sourdough would be great too. 1 Artisan loaf should work fine.
• 1 stick butter
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 4 stalks celery ribs trimmed and diced
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups chicken broth low sodium
• 2 large eggs
• 8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms
• 4 cups kale cleaned and stems removed
• 1.25 pounds hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• If your bread isn't stale, you can cut it up and let it sit out overnight or throw it in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a 4 quart baking dish (16x11) with cooking spray.
• In a large saucepan, melt your butter.
• Add the onions and celery and cook until soft and translucent.
• Add your thyme and sage and season with salt and pepper
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat
• In a separate pan, cook the turkey sausage. One fully cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
• Spray the same pan you cooked the sausage in with cooking spray and cook the mushrooms for about four minutes until softened. At the very end, toss in the kale and let it wilt. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add the bread and stir to combine. Stir in broth mixture, the kale, mushrooms, sausage and cheese. Pour the whole mixture into your baking dish.
• Cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 777mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 6mg