Homemade stuffing ranks way above any store-bought boxed version. We absolutely love the interesting flavor combination and bold yet fresh flavors in this Italian Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash Stuffing. Kale and butternut squash bring a great change to a traditionally bready stuffing, while the Italian sausage adds just the right amount of savory flavor. Although there are a lot of components, it's not a difficult recipe to make and this will become a staple for holiday meals year after year!
Looking for more holiday side dishes like this? Try out our Miso Glazed Carrots Recipe or Maple Bourbon Bacon Brussels Sprouts.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Why These Flavors Work So Well Together
- Ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to Make Italian Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash Stuffing
- Equipment
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Variations
- Storage
- Top Tip
- Troubleshooting
- What to serve with Stuffing
- What Wines To Drink for Holiday Meals with Stuffing
- Related
- Pairing
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- A unique twist on a holiday homemade stuffing.
- The butternut squash and kale bring a great freshness to this stuffing.
- It goes with just about everything!
- Italian sausage adds so much flavor to the dish.
- The cubes of parmesan cheese are subtle but incredibly delicious!
Why These Flavors Work So Well Together
The flavors in this stuffing recipe meld perfectly together for a unique and tasty recipe. Sausage, leeks and kale are a classic combination, and the touch of sweetness of the butternut squash balances out the rich sausage flavor. There is no real secret, they just go together perfectly for a nice balance of savory and fresh flavors! This dish really can be made year round!
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make this recipe:
- Unsalted Butter: We prefer unsalted butter so we can control the sodium content ourselves.
- Italian Sausage: We love the sweet Italian sausage variety with fennel, but any Italian style sausage will work in this recipe from mild to spicy Italian sausage.
- Leeks: Leeks are generally underused in recipes but add so much and are extremely delicious. Clean them well, though as they often have a decent amount of dirt in them.
- Green Onions: Both the white and green parts are used in this recipe.
- Butternut Squash: This wonderful winter vegetable is one of the main players in this dish!
- Fennel Seeds: A delightful addition to complement the sausage even more.
- Fresh Rosemary: Rosemary gives this stuffing an extra level of herby flavor.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- Kale: Kale keeps its body and texture and has more flavor than spinach so it works well in this dish.
- Focaccia: The flavor and texture of focaccia is perfect in this stuffing. If you can find onion foccacia, that's an even better option.
- Egg: An egg brings some richness to the dish and helps hold it together.
- Chicken Stock: Low sodium stock is perfect here.
- Parmesan cheese: We recommend buying a block of the real imported Parmigiano Reggiano for best results. It is inside the stuffing in small diced pieces and also tops the stuffing in shredded form for a nice flavor enhancement.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Leeks: Leeks add great flavor to the dish, but you can use yellow onion if leeks aren't available for similar results.
- Butternut squash: Other squash varieties like acorn squash, kabocha squash, or sugar pumpkin are good substitutes.
- Kale: Spinach, swiss chard or another leafy green could easily be substituted for the kale, but you will lose a bit of texture since kale holds up a bit better than other leafy greens.
- Focaccia: If you can't find focaccia, we recommend using onion rolls, dinner rolls or sourdough bread, but any other crusty bread will work.
- Chicken stock: Vegetable stock or turkey stock can be used in this recipe if desired.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano or even a cubed alpine cheese will work instead of parmesan.
How to Make Italian Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash Stuffing
This is a straightforward recipe and most of the time is in the preparation. Everything is cooked in a dutch oven in stages, then transferred to a casserole dish for baking!
Equipment
Here is what you need to make this dish
- Large pot of Dutch oven
- Large Baking dish or large casserole dish (about 4 qt, 9x13")
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cook the Sausage
- Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a 3-quart casserole dish. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Add and Cook the Vegetables
- Add the leeks, green onions, squash, fennel seeds and the salt and pepper; cook until the leeks are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the kale, toss and cover until the kale wilts, about 4 minutes.
Combine the Bread
- Add the focaccia cubes and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and toss until the butter melts. Then stir in the diced parmesan.
Finish with the Broth
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and chicken broth until smooth. Pour the broth mixture over the bread mixture; cook until the liquid is absorbed by the bread, about 1 minute.
Bake
- Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Scatter the shredded cheese evenly on top and bake until golden and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes before serving.
Variations
Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:
- You could use an entirely different type of pork sausage or even turkey sausage or chicken sausage, ground beef or veal, or simply omit it for a vegetarian option.
- Add some toasted walnuts or pecans for texture and a nice seasonal flavor.
Storage
How to store leftover stuffing:
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to reheat leftover stuffing:
- Simply reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat or in the oven at 325°F until warmed through.
Can you freeze leftover stuffing?
- Yes, it can be frozen for up to 6 months. Just thaw before reheating.
Can you make stuffing in advance?
- Yes! This stuffing can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and stored covered in the fridge until ready to bake. Once you transfer the stuffing to the baking dish, simply cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and store in the fridge for 1-2 days (or freeze for up to 6 months). Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking, then place in your preheated oven uncovered and bake for the recommended amount of time in the recipe instructions. If using the freezer option, defrost completely in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking.
Top Tip
For the focaccia, you will want to cut it into bite-sized cubes and let them sit out at room temperature for 1-2 days to dry out prior to making the stuffing. Alternatively, you can place the cut cubes into the oven on a baking sheet and allow to bake at 350° for approximately 15-20 min, or until the bread has dried out. You can use store bought onion dinner rolls or bread, but we recommend using focaccia (onion focaccia recommended). You can buy or make your own for this recipe.
Troubleshooting
If your bread isn't dried out, be sure to continue to dry it. If you put bread in this recipe and it has too much moisture, it will become mushy and completely fall apart, so don't skip the drying out step.
What to serve with Stuffing
This is absolutely perfect with traditional Thanksgiving items! However, we also eat this year-round and it is delicious with roasted chicken or any grilled meat.
For main courses, we like to serve this with Garlic Thyme Studded Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Sauce or Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb for red meat options. Or serve it with Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Juniper Red Wine Sauce or Sage Prosciutto and Gruyere Chicken Roulade.
What Wines To Drink for Holiday Meals with Stuffing
Wines should be paired with the protein or main course. But if just eating this, we would suggest a dry white wine with nice acidity, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
The secret is good ingredients. If you use good ingredients then you'll have a delicious, fresh tasting stuffing! Also, it is super important to make sure your bread pieces are completely dried out or you will get a mushy texture in the stuffing.
It really helps that it is stale, dried out or crouton-like. That way the bread can absorb some of the moisture without turning to mush. If using fresh bread, cut it into chunks, place the chunks onto a sheet try and bake the bread at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until it is dried completely.
You don't need an egg in stuffing but it contributes to richness and flavor and we recommend it for this recipe.
Related
Looking for other side dish recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite meat dishes to serve with stuffing:
📖 Recipe
Italian Sausage Kale and Butternut Squash Stuffing
Equipment
- Large baking dish or casserole dish 4qt or 9x13"
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casings removed, broken into small pieces
- 3 large leeks white and light-green parts only, cleaned, halved lengthwise, and sliced
- 5 green onions chopped
- ½ medium butternut squash peeled and diced (around ½ inch pieces) - about 4 cups diced
- 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 Teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch kale leaves trimmed and chopped
- 1 pound focaccia onion focaccia recommended, stale/dried and cubed (around ¾ - 1 inch) - see note
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup diced parmesan cheese plus ½ cup shredded
Instructions
Cook the Sausage
- Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a 3-quart casserole dish. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Add and Cook the Vegetables
- Add the leeks, green onions, squash, fennel seeds and the salt and pepper; cook until the leeks are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the kale, toss and cover until the kale wilts, about 4 minutes.
Combine the Bread
- Add the focaccia cubes and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and toss until the butter melts. Then stir in the diced parmesan.
Finish with the Broth
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and chicken broth until smooth. Pour the broth mixture over the bread mixture; cook until the liquid is absorbed by the bread, about 1 minute.
Bake
- Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Scatter the shredded cheese evenly on top and bake until golden and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Leeks: Leeks add great flavor to the dish, but you can use yellow onion if leeks aren't available for similar results.
- Butternut squash: Other squash varieties like acorn squash, kabocha squash, or sugar pumpkin are good substitutes.
- Kale: Spinach, swiss chard or another leafy green could easily be substituted for the kale, but you will lose a bit of texture since kale holds up a bit better than other leafy greens.
- Focaccia: If you can't find focaccia, we recommend using onion rolls, dinner rolls or sourdough bread, but any other crusty bread will work.
- Chicken stock: Vegetable stock or turkey stock can be used in this recipe if desired.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano or even a cubed alpine cheese will work instead of parmesan.
- How to store leftover stuffing: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to reheat leftover stuffing: Simply reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat or in the oven at 325°F until warmed through.
- Can you freeze leftover stuffing? Yes, it can be frozen for up to 6 months. Just thaw before reheating.
- Can you make stuffing in advance? Yes! This stuffing can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and stored covered in the fridge until ready to bake. Once you transfer the stuffing to the baking dish, simply cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and store in the fridge for 1-2 days (or freeze for up to 3 months). Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking, then place in your preheated oven uncovered and bake for the recommended amount of time in the recipe instructions. If using the freezer option, defrost completely in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking.
- For the focaccia, you will want to cut it into bite-sized cubes and let them sit out at room temperature for 1-2 days to dry out prior to making the stuffing. Alternatively, you can place the cut cubes into the oven on a baking sheet and allow to bake at 350° for approximately 15-20 min, or until the bread has dried out. You can use store bought onion dinner rolls or bread, but we recommend using focaccia (onion focaccia recommended). You can buy or make your own for this recipe.
Nutrition
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