Vegetarian Sausage Stuffing

Last updated on February 23, 2019 by Liza Hawkins

This warm and comforting vegetarian sausage stuffing will please a crowd!

We do two different Thanksgivings and Christmases every year.

It’s a result of having both sets of parents close-by in Maryland, and also other family members that now live out of town.

I’ve grown up celebrating this way, so in a way it’s nostalgic to spread the holidays out instead of being laser-focused on one specific date.

It can also be wonderfully exhausting.

My sister and brother-in-law are both vegetarians, and our huge holiday spreads include plenty of dishes for both meat eaters and not.

It helps that even those of us who do enjoy a roast turkey, also love veggies, mac-n-cheese, non-meat gravy.

We’re not eating at separate ends of the tables to alienate either diet.

Haha.

For this Thanksgiving, I made a traditional stuffing with the addition of vegetarian sausage (read: meatless).

Actually, it’s a dressing because it’s cooked in its own baking dish, rather than a stuffing that’s cooked inside the meat; but, stuffing is more recognizable, and dressing can often be mistaken for the stuff that goes on a salad.

I digress…

My sister is obviously more familiar with cooking vegetarian “meat substitutes,” and she always says they taste best if you sear them off in butter.

I mean, is there anything that isn’t better with butter? I’m grateful she’s not vegan.

So, in a skillet, I seared them in a healthy amount of butter and olive oil, and then I sauteed some onions, carrots and celery in that same skillet before adding the sausages back in.

Healthy “large” not healthy “good for you,” to clarify.

See how nice and brown the edges are? Perfection!

After pouring in some homemade vegetable stock (my mother’s handiwork) and letting it simmer and reduce, I tossed the mixture with some toasty Italian bread cubes and fresh parsley.

Then it was baked until the top became crispy and golden brown.

Mmmm…

Click here for more of my vegetarian recipes.

Click here for my overnight slow cooker chicken stock (if you’re a meat eater and want to sub this for the vegetable stock).

Cheers!

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Yield: 6

Vegetarian Sausage Stuffing

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This stuffing/dressing is a wonderful vegetarian alternative to the traditional recipe!

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Ingredients

• 1 package Lightlife Italian Style Smart Sausages, sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups stale bread cubes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole. Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.

Add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, place the sausages in the pan and let them sear for 2 minutes. Flip the sausages, continue to cook them for another 2 minutes, and then remove them to a bowl and set them aside.

Reduce heat to medium an add the onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper to the skillet, sauteing until the onions are just starting to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and pour the vegetable stock in all at once and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue cooking for two more minutes, and then pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Use a wooden spoon to gently toss the bread to ensure that it's well coated.

Add the stuffing mixture to the prepared casserole and bake it for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are crispy. Serve hot!

Notes

I like to buy a loaf of crusty Italian bread from the bakery for my stuffing. After cutting it up into cubes, I either leave them out overnight OR I throw them on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes to get stale.