An incredible Thanksgiving stuffing prepared with Italian sausage, kale, and provolone cheese! A wonderful combination of savory, hearty, and cheesy, all in one bite.
1poundstale white bread,cubed (see notes on how to make your own)
6tablespoonsbutter,divided, plus more for baking dish
2small yellow onions,diced
4stalks celery,chopped
3clovesgarlic,minced
1poundmild or hot Italian sausage,casings removed
1/2tablespoonsweet or smoked paprika
2tablespoonstomato paste
1teaspoondried thyme
1/2teaspoondried rosemary
1/4teaspoondried sage
salt and fresh ground 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
2eggs
1/4cupchopped fresh parsley
1cupcubed provolone cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F.
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 prepared bread cubes and the sausage mixture; stir to combine.
Stir in the cheese.
Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Cut 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.
Remove from oven and serve.
Notes
BREAD CUBESI 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 350F for 15 minutes, but start checking at 12 minutes.HOW TO MAKE AHEAD
Prepare this dish one day ahead, but don’t bake it. Cover the baking dish and set it in the fridge over night.
When ready to bake it, take it out of the fridge and let stand 20 minutes on the counter. Bake and serve warm.
VARIATIONS
If you do not want to use kale, definitely try it with spinach or any other hearty greens, like chard or collard greens.
Muenster is a great substitute for Provolone cheese. Swiss cheese is good, too, and you can always use mozzarella.
WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 16To reduce your points down to 11, use whole wheat bread and turkey sausage. If you leave out the cheese, points go down to 9.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 491Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 13g65%
Cholesterol 115mg38%
Sodium 628mg26%
Potassium 579mg17%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 2615IU52%
Vitamin C 26.2mg32%
Calcium 339mg34%
Iron 3.8mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keywords: holiday side dish recipe, stuffing recipe, thanksgiving recipes, thanksgiving side dish, turkey stuffing