Friend of Julie: Caramelized Onion & Sausage Stuffing

Contributor Chris shared this Caramelized Onion and Sausage Stuffing recipe and it is yummy! I know this, because I made it for dinner tonight. It may be too late for you to make this for your Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but you don't need to wait until Christmas to try this. 

Caramelized Onion & Sausage Stuffing. Photo by Theresa

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork sausage
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• butternut squash (diced)
• 1 container of mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp vinegar (I did not add this)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (I've also used beef broth)
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tbsp fat of choice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place diced butternut squash on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

cook butternut squash until tender

3. Bake for about 15-25 minutes or until are tender, then set aside in a large bowl. Leave the oven on so it will be fully heated when you add the casserole.

4. While the butternut squash cooks, place a tablespoon of fat along with the garlic and mushrooms in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook down.

5. Add salt (optional) and pepper and cook until soft. 

cook mushrooms until soft

6. While the mushrooms are cooking down, in another skillet heat 1 tablespoon fat and add onions. (I only used 1 skillet for this recipe.

7. Once the mushrooms are done cooking, add them to the bowl with the squash.

8. Stir onions frequently to caramelize. This will take about 10-15 minutes. When onions are caramelized, set them aside (not in bowl with other items); these will go on top of the casserole after it cooks.

caramelize onions

9. In the same pan used for the mushrooms, add the pork sausage. Use a spoon to break up sausage and cook until almost cooked through.

10. Once sausage is done, add the sausage to the squash and mushroom bowl to cool.

cook sausage

11. In a small bow, beat the eggs then add them to the bowl with the sausage and veggies, then add the broth, vinegar (optional), squash, and chopped herbs. Mix well.

add beaten eggs, broth, vinegar and herbs to the bowl

12. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish or a round casserole dish.

13. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 minutes; make sure the egg is fully cooked before you pull the casserole from the oven.

14. Add onions to the top of the stuffing and cook for 5 more minutes.