Thanksgiving Stuffing: Food Network Kitchen’s Sausage and Mushroom Method

Food Network Kitchen’s “The Best Stuffing” is a Thanksgiving stuffing made with sausage, wild mushrooms and stale white bread, baked in a 9-by-13-inch dish rather than inside the turkey. The source rates it Easy, with 20 minutes of active work, 1 hour 20 minutes in total, and 8 to 10 servings. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so this page summarises the recipe and its notes to help you plan. We have not cooked it. The quantities, times and tips below are the source’s, so use the original page when you make it.

Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from its casings
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 lb assorted wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 celery stalks, diced, with the leaves kept for garnish if you like
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5 sage leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 5 thyme sprigs, leaves minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 16 cups cubed stale white bread

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and butter the baking dish.
2. Brown the sausage in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Lift it into a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Pour the wine into the skillet and let it bubble for about 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until almost all of it has cooked off.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the mushrooms, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, until they brown and shrink to about half their volume. Add them to the sausage.
5. Melt the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and soften the celery, onion, sage and thyme for about 5 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring it to a simmer.
6. In a second large bowl, beat the eggs with the parsley. Toss the bread cubes in, then the sausage and mushrooms, then pour over the hot broth mixture and toss until everything is evenly moistened.
7. Spread it in the dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes more, until golden. Scatter celery leaves on top if using.

Notes from the source

• The bread can change. The recipe uses white bread, but the cook’s note says any bread works as long as you keep to 16 cups. The test kitchen tried sourdough and a half white, half rye mix.
• Drying fresh bread. If your bread is fresh, cube it, spread it on a baking sheet and toast it at 300°F for about 10 minutes, until dry and crisp.
• Why a dish, not the bird. The recipe says it prefers the stuffing baked in a casserole dish next to the turkey and calls this the safest way to make it.

The page does not cover making the stuffing ahead, freezing it or vegetarian swaps, so this summary does not either.

Food safety: the 165°F rule

The US Food and Drug Administration says all stuffing and dressing must reach at least 165°F, whether it cooks inside or outside the bird, and recommends a casserole dish for the safest result. Colour is not a reliable sign of doneness, so check the centre of the dish with a food thermometer. This recipe contains raw eggs and sausage, which is another reason to check.

If you do stuff a turkey, the FDA’s advice is to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, combine them only just before stuffing, fill the bird loosely at about ¾ cup per pound, and put it in the oven straight away. Any extra goes in a greased dish.

For leftovers, the FDA says to refrigerate them within two hours and eat them within three to four days.

Planning the oven

This stuffing needs about an hour at 375°F, so plan it around the turkey’s time in the oven. Our summary of turkey roasting times by weight covers the bird, and the homemade cranberry sauce can be made on the stovetop days before. Both are summaries of published recipes and guidance, not our own cooking tests.

Recipe credit and sources

Recipe: Food Network Kitchen, “The Best Stuffing.” All quantities and steps belong to the original, so use the full page for the exact recipe.

• Food Network Kitchen: The Best Stuffing
• FDA: Food Safety Tips for Healthy Holidays

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