Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage and Mozzarella Stuffing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a roasting pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle them with the 1/3 cup olive oil, tossing to coat the bread evenly. Toast the cubes in the oven, stirring occasionally until lightly browned all over, about 15 minutes. NOTE: You can cube the bread out and put it in the pan ahead of time and let them air dry, it won’t hurt anything and might save you a bit of time when you brown them. Decision time: Think about putting all this together – are you going to do it all in the roasting pan or in a large bowl? Just make sure you have plenty of room as this is a pile of stuff to mix up good
2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon until it is lightly browned all over. Transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl and combine it with the toasted bread cubes
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the sausage drippings in the skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and saute until quite soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and sherry and continue to saute until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes more. Add the vegetables to the bread and sausage mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine.
4. Add the salami and mozzarella to the stuffing. Pour in enough chicken stock to make the stuffing begin to hold together. Season the mixture with the Italian seasoning, parsley and salt and pepper. NOTE: Add the stock gradually and if you have some left over that is ok. If you don’t have enough, pour a little more in. You want the mixture in that happy place in the middle of too dry and to wet. Consistency is the key to what we are looking for.
5. Stuff the turkey cavities immediately before roasting. Place any remaining stuffing in a buttered casserole and bake at 325 degrees until browned and crispy, about 45 minutes. NOTE: watch out for the poultry police … stuff just before putting in the oven. We have made this as a side dish – still fabulous! Adapted from the butterball web site many years ago. Makes enough stuffing for a 20 to 24 pound Turkey.

• Servings : 20
• Course : Brunch, Course, Main, Sides