Basic Holiday Stuffing
★ Issue CMSC·18–013 · Published 26 Nov 2018
beefCattle-Drivechicken

Basic Holiday Stuffing.

Brown spicy sausage with three bold spice blends, layer with buttered bread and vegetables, then braise until stuffing develops real backbone

PREP 20 min
COOK 45 min
TOTAL 1:5h h
SERVES —  
HEAT hot
BLEND RATING 4.8 104 reviews · Cattle Drive®
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You'll need
9x13-inch baking dishLarge skilletWooden spoonRoasting panAluminum foil

Brown spicy sausage with three bold spice blends, layer with buttered bread and vegetables, then braise until stuffing develops real backbone

Ingredients

FOR THE STUFFING

  • 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co™ Cattle Drive™ or Uncontrolled Cattle Drive™
  • 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co™ Uncontrolled Chain Reaction™
  • 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co™ Chain Reaction™
  • 1 pound Texas Craft Wagyu Spicy Beef Breakfast Sausage
  • 1 cup sweet onion, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced (including leaves)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 cups dried bread cubes, lightly seasoned
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken broth

Method

  1. 01

    Heat oven and butter

    5 min

    Get your oven to 350℉ and melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. You want the butter ready to coat those vegetables the second they hit the pan.

  2. 02

    Sauté vegetables

    8 min

    Add onion and celery to the melted butter and cook until translucent and they've released their moisture—this takes the raw edge off and builds flavor without browning. Set aside when done.

  3. 03

    Brown sausage and layer in spice

    10 min

    Brown the sausage in a skillet until it's got real color and broken into bite-sized pieces. Once it's there, add all three spice blends—Cattle Drive™, Chain Reaction™, and Uncontrolled Chain Reaction™—and stir hard to coat every bit of meat.

  4. 04

    Deglaze with broth

    2 min

    Pour the chicken broth into the sausage and spices, scraping up any browned bits. This liquid carries all that spiced sausage flavor into the stuffing.

  5. 05

    Assemble stuffing

    5 min

    In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, sautéed vegetables with their butter, then gently fold in the browned sausage with broth and spices—don't mash it or you'll end up with mush instead of textured stuffing.

  6. 06

    Transfer to roasting pan

    2 min

    Oil a 12" × 9" roasting pan and spread the mixed stuffing evenly, then cover tightly with foil to trap steam during the initial braise.

  7. 07

    Braise covered

    30 min

    Bake covered at 350℉ for 30 minutes so the bread absorbs all that spiced sausage liquid and the stuffing binds together with real backbone.

  8. 08

    Uncover and crisp the top

    15 min

    Remove the foil and continue baking, checking every 5 minutes until the top is golden and crispy—that's your signal the stuffing's got proper texture and color.

  9. 09

    Rest before serving

    5 min

    Let the stuffing rest a few minutes out of the oven so it sets up and holds together when you scoop it. Serve hot with gravy and your main course.

From Mike's Notebook

01

Brown the sausage hard in a dry pan first — its own fat renders out and seasons the bread.

02

Toast the bread cubes in the oven before layering; they won't turn to mush when the broth hits.

03

Use the celery leaves; they carry more flavor than the stalks and won't turn to slime.

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