Thanksgiving is an important American holiday and is feted all over the world. The centerpiece of the contemporary Thanksgiving festival is the Thanksgiving feast. Apart from football and traditional stories of the Wampanoag Native Americans, all households give importance to feasting during Thanksgiving. Turkey is commonly served during Thanksgiving and there are various renditions of the conventional, roasted turkey and the pumpkin pie that are becoming prominent all over the world. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is celebrated on a grand scale and gives prominence to scrumptious food, family reunions and merrymaking. The American colonists and the Native Americans are known to have been the acknowledged founders of the Thanksgiving feast, and for two centuries after that, colonies in America, celebrated this festival with great pomp and enthusiasm. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday during the Civil war, and there has been no looking back ever since. If unique is on your mind, try cooking the sausage and kale dressing and amaze your guests with your culinary diversity! Scroll down for the recipe.
Sausage And Kale Dressing Recipe
This recipe serves 12. This dressing goes well with Turkey tacos, chips, pita bread and even the traditional pumpkin pie!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
Try out the outstanding Sausage and Kale dressing recipe for Thanksgiving this year. With this 'Sausage and Kale' addition to the Thanksgiving feast, your guests are going to be begging for more! Read on.
Sausage And Kale Dressing
- 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter for greasing
- 1 pound of fennel sausage (preferably without casings)
- 4 large leeks
- ½ a cup of butternut squash
- 1 fresh bunch of Kale, trimmed and chopped
- 1 pound day-old, country bread (diced into cubes)
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of cubed Parmesan cheese, 1/4th cup shredded parmesan
- 2 cups of turkey/chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 3-4 carrots (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 250-300°F and butter a casserole dish.
- Heat 2 spoons of butter in a heavy pan or pot over a medium flame. Add the chopped onions and the diced fennel sausages and cook for about 6-8 minutes, turning the sausages over for even cooking.
- After the meat has tenderized, add the leeks, carrots (optional), thyme, salt and pepper till the leeks have become soft. (3 minutes)
- Add the kale to the mixture, toss the leaves a couple of times till it starts to release moisture and reduces in size. Cover the mixture and wait for about 4-5 minutes.
- Once the sausages and the kale are thoroughly cooked, add the old, country bread cubes and the remaining teaspoons of butter and cook the mixture, till the butter has melted.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and the turkey/chicken broth until smooth. To this, stir in the diced parmesan and add the salt.
- Pour the broth over the sausages and kale until the broth has been completely absorbed by the country bread and the sausages.
- Transfer this complete mixture into the casserole dish, and bake for about 40 minutes at 250-300°F.
- Top this delicious side dish with grated parmesan cheese evenly before serving! This is a great accompaniment to roasted, stuffed turkey and the traditional pumpkin pie!
Note
- Vegetable Broth can also be used in place of chicken/turkey broth.
- If you cannot find leeks, sweet potatoes are a great alternative!
- Chicken sausages can be used in the place of spicy, fennel sausages if they are not easily available at your local store.
The traditional Sausage and Kale dressing is a lip-smacking delight and is a popular favorite in many households all over the world. The crunchiness of the bread along with the peppery spice of the sausages can augment the flavors of the various other dishes on the Thanksgiving table. Try this recipe out this year, and you will definitely find yourself making some more the next year! Apart from using Sausage and Kale as a popular stuffing for the Turkey, try it out as a dressing this year, and you will not be disappointed! Happy Thanksgiving! ?