Add a sweet and savory side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner this year! What’s not to love about stuffing? You’re right, nothing. This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe for Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing is sure to please! Plus, depending on your guests and preferences we will give you ways to make this vegan, vegetarian, even gluten-free! We know you are already getting hungry so let’s cut right to the chase and get to the groundwork for this recipe, hint we will make it easy with DIJAS Corn Mini Muffins!

Corn Bread & Sausage Stuffing:

• 1, 12 pack of DIJAS Corn Mini Muffins
• 1 lb. ground sausage (sage or country style)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 apples, cored and diced
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (use your favorite, but we recommend thyme, rosemary & sage)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

How to Make the Corn Bread & Sausage Stuffing:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & prepare a 9×13 baking dish with a cooking spray or butter and dusting of flour.
2. Take your Corn Bread Mini Muffins and break them apart with your hands into 3 pieces or cut into thirds and set aside.
3. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and cook the sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook about 5 minutes & transfer to a large heat-safe bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. (Keep in mind this bowl has to fit all the ingredients within in a little bit!)
4. Reduce heat to medium and add the diced onions, celery, and apples, and add 3 tbs. of butter to the pan. Cook until softened (about 6-8 minutes).
5. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for an additional minute, then remove from the heat.
6. Combine the vegetable mixture to your pork and mix to combine & at this time
7. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, chicken stock, egg, salt & pepper.
8. Add your Corn Muffins into the bowl and gently mix together, then pour the milk and chicken stock mixture over top and gently fold that into the mixture until all pieces are evenly coated (don’t over-mix as the cornbread should keep its form).
9. Carefully pour the mixture into your 9×13 baking dish and level our with a spatula. Dot the top with the remaining 3 tbs. of butter.
10. Bake on the middle rack in your preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm on Thanksgiving Day!

Notes:

• This is a great make-ahead dish: This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time, but the DIJAS Corn Mini Muffins would just need to be dried out overnight before preparing the same way, and add another 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Prepare the same way the day of and add a few extra minutes in the oven.
• To make this recipe vegan: use a plant-based sausage, unsweetened plant-based milk, vegetable stock, dairy-free eggs, and DIJAS Vegan Corn Mini Muffins (2 packs!)
• To make this recipe vegetarian: use a plant-based sausage or add 2 cups of additional vegetables of your choice (carrots, butternut squash, parsnips, etc!), use vegetable stock.

Have you tried this recipe? Comment below with what you thought about it! This is a great recipe to make for Thanksgiving of course, around the holidays, or any time of the year that you are craving a hearty and delicious side!

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