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Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing

This sourdough kale bacon sausage stuffing is the flavor-packed stuffing you need on your Thanksgiving table. You’re going to love this combo of double meat and kale.

Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing in a round skillet.

There is nothing more I love than sausage stuffing. Especially when said stuffing is packed with not just sausage, but bacon, kale, and sourdough bread.

But, growing up, every single Thanksgiving I would fill my plate with Sage and Cornbread Stuffing, and homemade cheesy potatoes, and take a few loan slices of turkey.

I would eat everything on my plate as fast as possible and run to get more stuffing. This usually resulted in my dad yelling at me to stop eating all the stuffing and to instead eat more turkey.

No, I’m not eating more boring turkey when there is stuffing to be had.

Now that I’m an adult I can make and eat stuffing whenever I want. That’s primarily because as an adult I’m just a grown-up with power. Power to deem it okay to make stuffing all year round and eat half of the dish in one sitting.

Not that I have ever done that before. Nope, not me.

Well, maybe I would if it was this sourdough kale bacon sausage stuffing.

Ingredients to make sausage stuffing on a table.

Ingredients in sourdough kale sausage stuffing

  • Sourdough bread – I really like using sourdough in this stuffing because it brings in good flavor but also really holds up to all the ingredients and cooking. Plus it gives you the perfect crunchy outside and soft middle.
  • Breakfast roll sausage – You’ll be using a breakfast roll-style sausage for this recipe. The most common brands are Jimmy Dean, Jones Dairy Farm, Neeses, and Bob Evans. You can use mild, sage, or hot and spicy. The choice is yours! In a pinch, you can substitute ground Italian sausage as well.
  • Thick sliced bacon – I love the smokiness that bacon brings to this stuffing. It’s not to be missed!
  • Shallots – The flavor of shallots is perfect for this dressing as it’s a combination of both onion and garlic flavors.
  • Celery – I love the subtle taste celery brings to stuffing and it works great here with the rich meat flavors.
  • Spices – I used a mix of spices that really scream stuffing to me so I added poultry seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt.
  • Tuscan kale – Tuscan kale is my favorite as I find it easier to incorporate into the stuffing. It is also something called dinosaur kale or lacinato kale. Curly kale can be used in its place but try to really give it a good fine chop.
  • Chicken stock – I like to use chicken stock as the moisture for the stuffing as it brings in even more flavor. Other great options could be garlic stock, mushroom stock, or even vegetable stock.
Sautéed sausage, bacon, and kale in a skillet.
Browned sausage and kale with toasted bread in a bowl.
Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing mixed in a bowl.

How to make sourdough sausage stuffing

Making this stuffing is a breeze and will be the perfect addition to your holiday table.

First, cut up your bread and toast in the oven. This will ensure the bread is perfect for stuffing! You can also opt to cut the bread the day before and leave it out overnight to dry out. Stale bread is your friend when it comes to stuffing!

Second, brown your sausage and bacon and cook until crisp. Then add celery, shallots, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt, and cook for a few minutes until the veggies start to soften.

Add in your kale and quickly saute.

Lastly, in a large bowl add your bread, browned meat and veggies, and chicken stock. Toss to combine and add to a large baking dish.

Bake until crispy and browned and ENJOY!

Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing on a plate with a fork.

What does this stuffing taste like?

This stuffing tastes like sausage stuffing had a baby with Southern greens.

It’s rich in meaty flavor and gets a punch of flavor from using breakfast sausage and thick-sliced bacon.

It gives you all the slow roasted meaty flavor of greens with the crunchy bread texture of stuffing.

This dish is a match made in heaven!

What is Tuscan kale?

Tuscan kale, also called lacinato kale or dinosaur kale, has large, dark green, flat leaves that are milder in flavor than regular kale.

You can find Tuscan kale in most major grocery stores in the produce section, or at farmers markets!

In fact, I get mine delivered from our local farm almost every week!

I used this same kale in my Chopped Kale Caesar Salad and could easily be used in my Italian Sausage Kale Pasta or my Creamed Kale.

Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing in a yellow skillet.

Variations and changes

You can easily adapt this recipe to include some of your favorite vegetables or herbs.

If you can’t find Tuscan kale you could try using finely chopped curly kale, Swiss chard, or even spinach.

You can also opt to add more vegetables such as mushrooms or carrots.

Using breakfast sausage gives you a boose of sage and fresh herb flavor but if you opt to use Italian sausage you can add in some freshly chopped sage, thyme, and rosemary.

How to toast your own sourdough bread cubes

For this recipe, I prefer to make my own sourdough bread cubes. It sounds fancy but really it just involves cutting bread into squares and giving them a good toast in the oven.

Optionally, you can cut them the day before and leave them to dry, uncovered, overnight. This will help them harden up with the use of the oven.

However, to toast in the oven all you need to do is the following:

  1. Buy a 16-ounce loaf or bouille of sourdough bread and cut it into 1-inch by 1-inch cubes.
  2. Place on a sided sheet pan and add to a preheated 350-degree F oven.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bread is toasted and dried out. Half way through the baking time give it a good toss so that all sides have time to dry out.

Storage and leftovers

Lastly, any leftover sausage stuffing can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing served on a white plate.

More stuffing recipes

Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing

This sourdough kale sausage bacon stuffing is the flavor-packed stuffing you need on your Thanksgiving table. You're going to love this combo of double meat and kale.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sourdough bread cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 16 ounces breakfast roll sausage
  • 5 slices thick cut bacon diced
  • 3 celery ribs diced
  • 2 shallots minced
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups tuscan kale finely chopped
  • 2-1/2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cubed bread on a large baking sheet and cook 10-12 minutes, until bread is dry and toasted. Set aside.
  • In a high-sided 12-inch skillet set over medium heat add sausage and bacon. Cook until the bacon is slightly crisp and the sausage is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Make sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.
  • Add celery, shallots, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Cook until celery and shallots are soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Add kale and cook just until kale starts to soften about 2 minutes.
  • Pour in 2 cups chicken stock and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the bread until the bread is moist.
  • Add additional stock, if needed, to reach the desired moisture level in the stuffing.
  • Pour mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  • Cover stuffing with foil or a lid and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the foil cover and bake for 30 minutes more or until the top of the stuffing is crispy and golden brown.

Notes

  • You can use 12-16 ounces of breakfast roll sausage for this recipe. 
  • Breakfast roll sausage is the type of sausage sold in a roll form in a plastic package. You typically find this near the meat section near the breakfast meats such as bacon. 
  • Curly kale can be used in place of Tuscan kale but it should be finely chopped and it’s more tough than Tuscan kale. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 587kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1295mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 788IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg
Course Side Dishes
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon and sausage stuffing, bacon stuffing, homemade stuffing, kale stuffing, sausage stuffing, sourdough stuffing, thanksgiving stuffing
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment and 5 star review!
Sourdough Kale Bacon Sausage Stuffing pin for Pinterest.
Brandy

About Brandy!

I am a food lover and recipe developer bringing you delicious recipes that taste great and are easy to make! My food is inspired by travels around the world and my love of flavorful food. A list of things that make me happy: cats, Coke Zero, houseplants, and travel. Read more...

Recipe Rating




Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Stuffing is my favorite! This is absolutely mouth-watering!

Kim Beaulieu

Monday 17th of November 2014

Stuffing is the only reason I celebrate Thanksgiving. This stuffing is going on the list of recipes to make. Gorgeous photos,

Angela {Mind Over Batter}

Monday 17th of November 2014

Turkey is sooooo boring. So boring it puts you to sleep. I can eat my family's weight in this stuffing, girl.

Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos

Sunday 16th of November 2014

This is the perfect stuffing for the holidays - and yes, including kale in it adds a bit of a "healthy" touch, imo :) Carby goodness indeed!

Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie

Saturday 15th of November 2014

Oh I definitely need to try sourdough and kale in stuffing. Must be great.

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