Many of us have family holiday traditions. Growing up, I didn’t love stuffing. In hindsight, I probably had one mediocre serving and swore it off forever. So, when I took over cooking the Thanksgiving feast 10 years ago, I decided to improve our standard stuffing – a bit dry and underwhelming – and replace it with an almost bread-pudding-like version, soaked in eggs and cream and laced with melted cheese.
You can see the recipe that kicked off my love affair with stuffing here. This year, I have added a twist – still, bread soaked in a flavorful liquid and sprinkled with cheese – but this time, I am using pretzel rolls, gruyere cheese, and beer! This recipe is unique and is packed with flavor that your family and friends will love. Enjoy!
Pretzel Bread Sausage Stuffing
Prep Time: 60 min
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED
- 2 LB. SAUSAGE OF CHOICE, LOOSE OR REMOVED FROM CASING
- 2 TBS GARLIC, MINCED
- 3 TBS FRESH HERBS (SUCH AS SAGE, THYME, ROSEMARY), MINCED
- 10 HEAPING CUPS CUBED PRETZEL ROLLS
- 1 LARGE APPLE, CHUNKED
- 1 ½ CUPS GRUYERE CHEESE, SHREDDED
- 2 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH
- 1 CUP BEER
- 1 TBS DIJON MUSTARD
- 4 EGGS
- SALT & PEPPER, TO TASTE
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large, high-edged pan or Dutch oven, sauté onions in a bit of oil until tender, approx. 3-5 minutes.
- Add sausage to pan and brown while breaking into pieces.
- Add garlic and herbs cook for a few more minutes, stirring to mix ingredients. Once the sausage is browned, remove it from heat, let cool slightly.
- Fold the bread and apples into the sausage herb mixture, allowing the bread to soak up any liquid in the pan. Then transfer the mixture into a 9×13 oven-safe baking dish.
- Sprinkle bread with the gruyere cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth, beer, mustard, eggs, salt, and pepper. Then pour evenly over the bread mixture, let soak for at least 15 minutes (or overnight if possible).
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, covered.
Notes
- I was inspired by a German bratwurst sandwich for this stuffing. You could use Bratwurst sausage or any kind of sausage you prefer.
- I used what’s traditionally known as the “Poultry Blend” for the herbs since this is the same combination of herbs I’ll be using on the turkey.
- If freezing ahead (like I do), stop after step 5. Put mixture into a large zip lock bag, label, and freeze for up to two months. When You want to bake the stuffing, transfer from the zip lock bag into a baking dish, and proceed with the remaining steps, cooking for approx. 10-20 minutes. Longer
