This Pancetta and Italian Sausage Stuffing recipe is made with both cornbread and a crusty artisan bread for a unique flavor and texture. Packed with bold flavors, this is the best holiday side dish you’ll ever devour!
Stuffing is usually the most requested side dish at a holiday table, so it’s obviously everyone’s favorite. Whether you stuff the bird with it or make it in a separate pan, it’s almost certain that everyone will reach for seconds. Stuffing, or dressing as it is called in some parts of the country, can be as simple or as complex as you would like it to be. You could add anything to it, but we believe we’ve found the ultimate winner with this Pancetta and Italian Sausage Bread Stuffing Recipe.
Pancetta and Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe
The sweet and crumbly cornbread gives this Pancetta and Italian Sausage Stuffing an incredibly soft taste. While the crusty artisan bread, such as ciabatta or a rustic multigrain loaf, gives it a beautiful texture that’s hard to resist. The classic flavors of yellow onion, celery, and fresh Italian parsley combined with another unexpected addition – Italian seasoning – gives this stuffing its gorgeous flavors. If you wonder what gives this stuffing its stunning golden color, it is turmeric. Just don’t tell anyone, let’s keep it a secret.
Finally, what makes all the difference in this recipe is the fatty pancetta and Italian sausage. They transform good old stuffing into a dish that everyone will crave for days to come. Some may even have it the following day for breakfast topped with some Greek yogurt. Not that we’ve ever seen anyone doing that.
Ingredients
- 16 oz cornbread
- 16 oz crusty artisan bread
- 2 tbsp butter
- 16 oz Italian sausage
- 4 oz pancetta
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery with leaves, diced
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- Cooking spray oil
- Fresh chopped Italian Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dice cornbread and artisan bread into one inch cubes. Place on the lined baking sheets and let dry in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Melt butter in a large skillet and brown the Italian sausage. Remove the sausage to a small bowl. Rip pancetta apart and add to the hot skillet to gently brown. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage.
- Sauté onion until soft and golden, then add celery. Sauté until the celery becomes soft, then slowly pour in the vegetable stock.
- Stir in the Italian parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Turn the oven up to 375°F. Spray a 9x13 deep casserole pan with cooking oil.
- Place all the ingredients in the pan and combine well. Make sure all the ingredients are moist. Pull some of the crusty bread cubes to the top for a beautiful presentation once the dish is baked.
- Bake at 375°F for 20 – 25 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot or keep at room temperature until serving.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Instead of drying the bread in the oven, you could cut it and leave overnight on the kitchen counter to air-dry which would cut the cooking time in half.
To make this stuffing kid friendly, sweet Italian sausage would definitely be the best. However, any version will work; sweet, mild, or hot. We tend to like the mild Italian sausage in this recipe which makes for a good sweet-hot compromise. It’s not too hot and yet it provides a mild kick. Besides the stuffing, cranberry sauce is another favorite on our holiday table. Checkout this slow cooker cranberry and pear sauce recipe that we know you’ll love!
We hope you love this Pancetta and Italian Sausage Stuffing recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Mira from Food Smart Mom, as much as we do. If you enjoyed this tasty recipe, be sure to check out our other Side Dish recipes to find more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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