I’ve never made stuffing/dressing from scratch before but wanted to try it out this past Thanksgiving. I came across this “Simple is Best” recipe from epicurious.com and knew from the reviews it would be a hit. Based on some reader comments, I added sausage for extra flavor and mixed in some Ciabatta for texture. I was so happy to hear that family and friends really enjoyed it, even those that do not usually like stuffing/dressing. You must try this for your Christmas dinner this week! This tastes best when you pre-make it the day before so plan ahead!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Cheat recipe

Ingredients (8-10 servings)

• 1 lb. (16 oz.) Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage package  (I like getting 2 flavors of either regular, hot and/or sage flavored, and mixing)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
• 1/2  lb. (8 oz.) good-quality day-old white french bread, torn into 1″ pieces (about 5 cups)
• 1/2  lb. (8 oz.) good-quality day-old Ciabatta bread, torn into 1″ pieces (about 5 cups)
• 2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 1/2 cups 1/4″ slices celery
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1 large egg

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 13x9x2″ baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool; transfer to a very large bowl. Raise oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Break up into smaller pieces with a wooden spatula while cooking. Add to the bread bowl.
3. Melt 3/4 cup butter in the same large skillet over medium heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to the bowl with bread and sausage; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.
4. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and egg in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°F, about 40 minutes.
5. Uncover the dish and let cool. Once cooled, put in fridge overnight to let flavors combine.
6. The next day, take dressing out of the fridge an hour or so prior to baking to get to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10-15 minutes). Enjoy!