Sausage and Wild Rice Thanksgiving Stuffing
By Elisa Rispoli, publisher for Macaroni Kid West Morris, NJ
November 17, 2015
Thanksgiving is all about family, and in my (big fat Italian) family, family is pretty synonymous with food. The feast that we serve for the 40 plus family members literally takes all day to cook, and we cook it all from scratch. But, I’ll let you in on a little family secret…our stuffing recipe is “semi-homemade”, simple (only 3 ingredients!), and is simply delicious. This is a tasty recipe that is a perfect addition to your own Thanksgiving table, reheats beautifully if you’re bringing it potluck style to another family member’s home, and it’s also a good side dish to add to your regular Winter weeknight meals!Serves 8, double the recipe for a crowd!Ingredients:2 boxes or 1 full bag favorite store bought stuffing mix (we like the cornbread one in the large bag)2 cups of cooked wild rice mix (in a pinch, you can even use the prepared bag that can be microwaved for 90 seconds)1 lb. of good Italian sausage (we purchase ours from our local butcher, but taking the sausage meat out of links will work too!), cooked and crumbled2 tbsp. olive oil, for cooking sausageDirections:
- Cook the wild rice according to directions and until tender. Wild rice usually takes about 30-45 minutes to cook, so start this before the rest!
- Cook stuffing according to directions on the packaging.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large frying pan in olive oil .
- When all is cooked, combine gently and fold in all ingredients evenly.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
*Note: If I’m feeling fancy, I will chop up 2 apples and add to the finished stuffing. Dried cranberries are another nice addition if you like them!
