An incredible Thanksgiving stuffing prepared with Italian sausage, kale, and provolone cheese! A wonderful combination of savory, hearty, and cheesy, all in one bite.
Servings : 8
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 1 hourhr
Total Time 1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Ingredients
1poundstale white bread,cubed
6tablespoonsbutter,divided, plus more for baking dish
2smallyellow onions,diced
4stalkscelery,chopped
3clovesgarlic,minced
1poundmild or hot Italian sausage,casings removed
½tablespoonsweet or smoked paprika
2tablespoonstomato paste
1teaspoondried thyme
½teaspoondried rosemary
¼teaspoondried sage
salt and fresh ground black pepper,to taste
1bunchkale,stems removed, chopped (1 bunch just refers to how much you can grab in one hand)
3cupslow sodium chicken broth or beef broth
2largeeggs
¼cupchopped fresh parsley
1cupcubed provolone cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery and cook for 2 minutes.
Add garlic and stir in the sausage and paprika; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon for about 6 minutes, or until cooked through and browned.
Stir in tomato paste and season with thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Add the kale and cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the broth and bring to a simmer; remove from heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and parsley. Add in the prepared bread cubes and the sausage mixture; stir to combine. Stir in the cheese.
Transfer to the baking dish.
Chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into several pieces and dot over the stuffing.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Bread cubes: I almost always choose plain, sliced white bread since it easily soaks up all the great flavors that you add to it. If you decide to make your own bread cubes, I suggest baking/drying them at 350˚F for 15 minutes but start checking at 12 minutes.
To Make Ahead: Prepare this dish one day ahead, but don’t bake it. Cover the baking dish and set it in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake it, take it out of the fridge and let it stand for 20 minutes on the counter to bring it close to room temperature. Bake and serve warm.
Variations
If you do not want to use kale, try it with spinach or other hearty greens, like chard or collard greens.
Muenster is an excellent substitute for Provolone cheese. Swiss cheese is good, too, and you can always use mozzarella.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.