Pretzel and Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 10 cups soft pretzel roll cubes, about 8 average-sized pretzel rolls (see note)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 stalks celery, small diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 medium carrots, small diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 medium onion, small diced (about 1/2 cup)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 pound chicken or other lean sausage
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pretzel cubes evenly in a large, rimmed baking sheet (use two if needed to get a single layer). Toast the pretzel roll pieces until just lightly golden (they shouldn't be rock hard), flipping once or twice, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the celery, carrots, onions, salt, pepper, garlic and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the fresh parsley, sage and thyme. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the pretzel cubes.
- Return the skillet to the heat and cook the sausage with a pinch of salt and pepper, crumbling it into bite-size pieces as it cooks. Once it has cooked all the way through, drain any excess grease and add the crumbled sausage to the bowl with the vegetables and pretzel pieces.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the eggs and broth until well-combined.
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Give the pretzel/vegetable/sausage mixture a good stir and spread it evenly in the prepared baking pan. Pour the broth mixture evenly over the top. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, until the bread is soft and tender and lightly golden on the top.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Pretzel Rolls: storebought pretzel rolls work here (I've used the ones from Costco) but if you want to earn extra rock star points, these homemade soft pretzel rolls are utterly divine.
Broth: the broth amount listed in this recipe yields a firm stuffing that is not overly soft. If you like your stuffing, ahem, a little more soggy, up the chicken broth as needed (for every 3/4 cup of chicken broth, add another egg).
For Make-Ahead Options: the bread cubes can be toasted a day or so in advance; let them cool completely and store at room temperature in a ziploc bag or other airtight container. The bread/vegetable/sausage mixture can also be prepped several hours (and quite possibly up to a day) in advance and placed in the prepared 9X13-inch baking pan (refrigerated until needed) so that before baking, all that needs to be done is pouring the egg/broth mixture over the top.