Description
This Sourdough Stuffing is loaded with ground pork and sautéed aromatics like onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and more. Tender yet crispy sourdough pieces elevate this recipe and make it unlike an ordinary stuffing recipe. There’s tons of big flavor, fresh herbs, and fragrant spices; it’s so moist in the middle- but not soggy! You’ll love this recipe for the perfect side dish to whip up during the holidays and beyond!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread (about 1 lb), cut/ripped into chunks & dried out (see step #1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided- plus more for drizzling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 stalks celery hearts, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, de-stemmed
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 2 ¼ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Prep the sourdough. Before making the stuffing, place the sourdough chunks on a baking sheet and leave them to dry out on the counter overnight (at least 8 hours) and up to 1 day. I like to do this step the night before serving to give the sourdough chunks some time to dry out before making the stuffing. *If you’re pressed for time, feel free to dry out the bread in a 250°F preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Brown the pork. In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, swirl the skillet around to evenly coat the bottom. Add the ground pork into the skillet and use a wooden utensil to break up the pork, cooking until the ground pork is completely browned and lightly crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Then season pork with ground sage, ground marjoram, and salt/pepper- to taste, stirring well to fully combine. Let the mixture continue cooking until the spices are deeply fragrant, about 1 minute. Then empty the ground pork into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Sauté the veggies. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet. When hot, swirl the skillet around to evenly coat the bottom. Add the chopped celery, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms into the skillet. Sauté the mixture until the veggies are tender, lightly caramelized, and fragrant, about 15-20 minutes. Then season the veggies with salt/pepper- to taste. Add the garlic and fresh thyme, and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the sautéed veggies from heat and empty into the same mixing bowl with the browned pork.
- Assemble the stuffing. Add the dried-out sourdough chunks into the mixing bowl along with the poultry seasoning, chicken stock/broth, melted butter, eggs, and maple syrup. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) or a utensil to give all the ingredients a good stir/toss until well combined. Let the mixture sit for the bread to absorb and soak up the stock- about 5-7 minutes.
- Bake the stuffing. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish, but do not pack the stuffing into the dish (that will create a dense texture). Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake the stuffing in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the stuffing from the oven and increase the temperature to 425°F. Remove the foil and drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake again for another 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and lightly crisp/crusty.
- Serve this sourdough bread stuffing with ground sage pork while hot. Garnish the stuffing with fresh herbs for a nice little aesthetic moment when serving at the table, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.