Chestnut Stuffing Recipe with Italian Sausage

This Chestnut Stuffing Recipe is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish for your roast turkey. Stuffing ingredients include sweet Italian sausage, fennel and chestnuts.

Let’s be honest.

How many of you take a bite of the stuffing before the Thanksgiving turkey?

Yeah, me too.

Today, I’m humbly sharing my definition of a great stuffing recipe.

If you are looking for a recipe that uses pounds of butter, sorry to disappoint you, but this might not be the recipe for you.

I put on my dietitian’s hat to tell you that it’s not necessary.

Once you taste this stuffing, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much flavor it has, without leaving you with that feeling of overindulgence. There really is a boost in flavor in recipes using Italian sausages -examples include this orecchiette recipe, sausage and peppers or this Italian soup.

You will also love the convenience of this make-ahead stuffing, making it the perfect stress-free holiday recipe.

It is equally delicious whether you choose to stuff your turkey with it or bake it apart in an ovenproof casserole dish.

You will also love the versatility of this recipe.

If you prefer a classic combination, go ahead and replace the fennel with celery; don’t care for the sausage, eliminate it; can’t find chestnuts, replace them with another nut like pecans or even walnuts. Do you love cranberries? Add a handful!

The variations are truly endless!

How to make turkey stuffing from scratch?

For this recipe, we will be making bread cubes from scratch and drying them in the oven. It might seem like an extra step, but you won’t believe how much flavorful broth freshly dried bread absorbs.

It is an investment of only 5 minutes.

The chicken (or vegetable) broth is another flavor enhancer. If you have time to make your own, great. Otherwise, purchase a low sodium broth.

The most time-consuming activity when making this stuffing recipe is preparing the chestnuts. Luckily, this can be done up to 3 days in advance. 

If more convenient for you, you can purchase vacuum-packed chestnuts. You need about 12 ounces (340 grams) of chestnuts. 

Let’s prep our recipe

Boiling the chestnuts: Use approximately 1 pound (450 grams) of chestnuts (in their shell) for this recipe. This will yield 12 ounces (340 grams). I have already shared with you how to parboil the chestnuts. Simply follow the link for all the details.

Make it ahead: The chestnuts can be prepared up to 3 days before you make this recipe. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to make your stuffing.

Slicing and drying out the bread: Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Place the oven rack to the bottom level. Trim the crusts from the bread (approximately 1 pound or 450 grams ) and cut or tear into  ½-1 inch cubes.

Spread the bread cubes, in a single layer, on one or two large rimmed baking sheets. Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until completely dried but not browned. Stir occasionally.

The total time depends on the type of bread used. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down to room temperature.

Prepping the vegetables: Dice 1 yellow onion (2 cups) and 1 fennel bulb (2 cups). Remove the fronds and the fennel core.

Prepping the fresh herbs: Chop Italian flat-leaf parsley (½ cup), sage (2 tablespoons), and thyme (1 tablespoon). 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the oven rack to the middle level. Coat the inside of a deep 9 x 13-inch baking pan with about 1 tablespoon of room temperature butter. Set aside.

Place the room temperature toasted bread in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 pound of bulk sweet Italian sausage.

Use a fork or a potato masher to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until no longer pink and lightly browned.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a large shallow bowl to cool down. Leave the sausage fat in the pan.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of butter to the saucepan. Add 1 large yellow onion (diced, about 2 cups) and 1 fennel bulb (diced, about 2 cups).

Sauté over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through and just beginning to brown. Stir occasionally. 

Combining the stuffing ingredients

It’s now time to combine the cooked Italian sausage and the sauteed vegetables with the fresh herbs and the rest of the ingredients. 

In a very large bowl, gently toss together the toasted bread, sauteed sausage, and vegetables. 

Add ½ cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage,1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss together and taste. Adjust seasonings. Add the chopped, parboiled chestnuts (about 12 ounces). 

Slowly add 1¼ cup of room temperature chicken(or vegetable) broth and toss gently together. The toasted bread will begin to re-hydrate by absorbing this liquid.

If you squeeze the bread with your hands, the cubes should still feel crisp, but beginning to soften on the outside. Taste again and adjust for salt and pepper.

Whisk together 2 eggs with about 1 cup of chicken broth. Add this liquid mixture to the stuffing and gently combine. 

At this point, you need to evaluate the texture of the bread to get the perfect stuffing with a crispy golden top and a soft bread pudding-like interior. 

Do the bread pieces feel spongy? If yes, there is enough liquid.

If the bread pieces still feel a little hard, you may want to add a little bit more broth. Add it in small quantities.

There should not be any liquid accumulating at the bottom of the bowl. 

Transfer the stuffing to the buttered baking dish. Do not pack in the mixture, just let it drop naturally in the dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake, uncovered for another 20-30 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.

Remove from the oven. 

If desired, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

To make ahead

The stuffing is best served on the day it is made. However, it is possible to make it the day before. Bake the stuffing. Then, remove from the oven, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

On the day you are planning to serve it, place in a 350°F (175°C) oven, covered until heated through; then remove the aluminum cover and continue to bake for another 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. 

Tips

• One pound of chestnuts (approximately 20 average-sized chestnuts with the shell) yields approximately 12 ounces (340 grams) of cooked chestnuts. This is approximately 2 cups.
• The stuffing can be cooked up to 1 day before your holiday dinner and gently reheated.
• If you are using sausage with casings, simply cut through through the casing with kitchen shears. 

Can this be made into a vegetarian version?

Yes. Simply eliminate the sausage. No other changes are necessary. 

What is the best way to cook chestnuts?

Since the chestnuts will be baked for over an hour, parboiling the chestnuts prevents them from drying out.

What kind of bread is the best?

Artisan, Country-Style white bread, crusty Italian bread, or any good quality white bread works well for this recipe. It’s really up to you.

How much broth do I need to add?

The goal of adding broth to the stuffing is to re-hydrate the toasted bread. 

You need to touch the bread and evaluate the texture to get the perfect stuffing with a crispy golden top and a soft bread pudding-like interior. 

Do the bread pieces feel spongy? If yes, there is enough liquid.

If the bread pieces still feel a little hard, you may want to add a little bit more broth. Add it in small quantities.

There should not be any liquid accumulating at the bottom of the bowl. 

Is it stuffing or dressing?

Would you believe that according to the Huffington Post, your geographical location will dictate whether you refer to this recipe as stuffing or dressing? More specifically, if you hail from the South, you will call this dressing; if you hail from the North, you refer to it as stuffing. 

Food and Wine provide a technical argument -if cooked outside the bird, the correct term to use is dressing. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, regardless of what you call it, I think we should simply be grateful.

Thanksgiving side dish recipes we love

• Warm Farro Salad
• Italian Potato Croquettes
• Big Italian Salad
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Rapini

Recipe origins

If you have visited here before, you know that I love chestnuts.

I enjoy having them roasted, boiled or pureed.

I also love using them in recipes.

Over the years, I have tweaked a recipe I originally found in a cookbook called Holiday Favorites by Williams-Sonoma.  

I replaced the tart apples with fennel, the sourdough bread with Italian Crusty bread, and played around with the variety and proportions of the herbs.

The sweetness of the fennel and the chestnuts compliment the sausage perfectly in this Italian stuffing recipe.

That poor turkey doesn’t stand a chance with this delicious savory stuffing!

Hoping you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with family and friends.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this Chestnut and Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!