And when I say sour, I'm actually talking about sourdough, as in the bread. Amy Traverso, who's the Senior Food Editor at Yankee Magazine came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about a recipe from Justin Walker for Sourdough Stuffing. Amy told Tonia you don't have to make the bread, you can buy high quality sourdough loaves. Combine that with Butternut Squash, sausage and other seasonal items to create a unique stuffing that might just replace traditional cornbread stuffing on your table! Make it an adventurous Thanksgiving with this side.
Ingredients
- 2 loaves (about 1 pound each) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from its casing
- 2 medium leeks, white parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- 1 1/2–2 cups turkey or chicken stock
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250° and set racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter and set aside.Arrange bread cubes on the sheets and bake until lightly toasted but not completely dry, 45 to 60 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375°.
In a large bowl, toss squash with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread it out on the baking sheets and roast until just tender, about 30 minutes.
Set a 3- or 4-quart pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink. Add the leeks, celery, and thyme and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put the bread cubes into a large bowl and pour the sausage mixture and 1 1/2 cups stock over all. Add the squash. Gently toss the mixture together, making sure the cubes are all moistened. Taste and add stock, salt, and pepper as needed.
Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake on the lower middle rack (at 375°) for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake until golden brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
