Happy Thanksgiving homies! Hope you’re eating something tasty with some lovely people today. Perhaps, something like this stuffing.

On this blog I like to take foods that may otherwise be unhealthy and make them a little lighter and more wholesome. I am diverging from the theme markedly today. This is a wildly unhealthy recipe. It is chock full of butter, pork fat and white bread. WHAT?! It’s Thanksgiving for goodness sake and I’m relatively sure that this may be the best stuffing ever.

I can’t take full credit, as this is based on Giada de Laurentiis’ Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta. I just nixed the pancetta and chestnuts and threw in some sausage. I’ve had both variations, and personally, I think the sausage is better. Also, chestnuts kind of gross me out. They’re like weird, dense little brains that taste like burned meat. Nahsomahsh.

So, I understand this recipe is probably coming a little late for Thanksgiving. But you know what’s next month – THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Just sayin’. You may want to do yourself a favor and make this in a few weeks. You can tell me thank you later.

Ciabatta Stuffing with Sausage
* based on this recipe

Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/2 lb. pork sausage removed from the casing. (I used garlic and herb, but I’ve had it with sage sausage before and that was pretty delicious)
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (I cut the bread up the night before and keep the cubes in a paper bag. This allows them to get a little stale – perfect)
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) broth (I used vegetable because I had it on hand)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute until cooked through and browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a large bowl.
3.) Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to the bowl with the meat.
4.) Add the bread, parmesan, stock and eggs and toss to coat. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. At this point, you may want to add a bit more stock if it is looking a little dry. I probably added another 1/4 cup.
5.) Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes.