Cascadia Table

Our Thanksgiving stuffing turned out so well this year that we made a collective family decision that we needed to make it again on Saturday. 

Here’s the thing about a truly great Thanksgiving side, on the big day itself, it has to compete for real estate on your plate. You only get a scoop here and there amidst the turkey, potatoes, and gravy. Sometimes, those standout sides don’t get the chance to shine the way they do in a simpler meal. So, we decided to give the stuffing its own spotlight. We roasted a simple chicken, sautéed some spinach, and baked a big pan of stuffing.

I’m pretty sure we ate the entire pan.

Making good gluten-free stuffing is a challenge. GF bread is notoriously prone to dissolving into a soggy, gummy mess the second it hits warm broth. In order to avoid this, you have to treat it like you’re making croutons. By toasting the bread cubes in the oven beforehand, you give them enough structure to drink up that savory broth without disintegrating.

Flavor-wise, we are purists. We like a simple, classic profile: sausage, fresh herbs, aromatics, and tangy sourdough bread as the base. You won’t find dried cranberries, nuts, or turkey giblets hiding in our pan.

To make this classic version, gather your ingredients: Italian sausage, leek, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, fresh parsley, chicken (or turkey) stock, white wine, and a loaf of GF sourdough bread cut into cubes. I also found a kid eager to help make—and eat—more stuffing. Meet my middle daughter, Margot, whose absolute favorite Thanksgiving food is, indeed, stuffing.

We start by toasting the bread cubes in the oven until they are crisp and golden. While that is happening, we prep the vegetables. Finely chop the onion, celery, and leek, placing them together in one bowl. Then, finely chop the garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme, keeping them in a smaller bowl. Finally, give the fresh parsley a fine chop and set it aside on its own.

Next, brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up with a spoon as you go. Once it’s beautifully browned, remove it from the skillet but leave that flavorful fat behind. Sauté the onion, celery, and leek mixture right in the sausage fat until everything is softened and starting to caramelize. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and herb mixture, cook for just one minute until fragrant, and then deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine, carefully scraping up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom.

Now for the assembly. Place your toasted bread cubes into a very large bowl. Add the cooked sausage, the fresh parsley, and the sautéed aromatic mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together beaten eggs and stock, then pour it over the bread mixture. Give it a gentle toss and let it sit for a few minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid. Grease a casserole dish, transfer the stuffing mixture into it, and bake.

While it bakes, your house will smell incredible. Few things smell as wonderful coming out of a kitchen as the combination of roasting sausage, herbs, and toasting bread.

This is truly a great side dish that deserves a life outside of November. I think I’m going to start making it more often—maybe as a hearty side to winter soups, or honestly, just on its own next to a really good salad or some braised greens.