Ingredients:
- 12 cups stale white bread
- 1 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups celery, finely diced
- ½ lb ground sausage
- 1 cup butter
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, finely minced
- 2 tsp fresh sage, finely minced
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Cut and dry bread slices into ½-inch cubes. Spread bread cubes out onto a baking sheet and allow to dry out at room temperature for 2 days.
- Finely dice the onion and celery. Mince the parsley and sage.
- In a large sauté pan, brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Remove sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up any excess grease.
- Remove most of the grease from the pan; add butter to pan on medium heat. Once melted, add onion and celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the sage and gently stir in.
- Add dried bread cubes to an extra-large mixing bowl. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, then add sausage and toss to combine.
- Pour sauté pan with the butter and veggies over the dried bread cubes and sausage, and toss to combine.
- Gradually add chicken broth: Start with 1 ½ cups of the chicken broth and drizzle it very slowly all over the bread mixture, stirring gently as you go. It is important not to pour the liquid in all at once, or it will make soggy spots in the bread. Add more chicken broth as needed until all of the bread is lightly moistened, but the mixture is not overly wet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add stuffing to a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
