Mom’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

This sausage stuffing recipe has been handed down from my dad's mother, who passed it down to my mother, who passed it down to me. And quite frankly, I can't remember a Thanksgiving without this dish. It is SO freakin' good. Over the years, I have tweaked it some (using wheat bread), but the base of the stuffing remains unedited. This stuffing is a little different than most in that you don't need to make breadcrumbs, but instead uses fresh bread. It is soft, flavorful, and I know I won't be able to switch stuffing recipes since this is my favorite. (Just an fyi- this stuffing recipe is uses fresh bread, and thus the texture is VERY moist.)

Ingredients:
1 lb Bob Evans sausage roll (original)
1-1/2 loaves (36-oz) white bread, crusts removed
2 Tbsp butter
2 large or 3 medium onions, chopped
1/3 bag of celery, sliced
8-oz mushrooms, chopped (omitted)
2 eggs, beaten
Salt & Pepper
1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 baking dish. (I used a 2.2-qt rectangular baking dish.)
2. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking up the sausage roll.
3. While the sausage is cooking, cube the bread into ½” squares.

4. Once the sausage is fully cooked, remove from pan. In the same pot, melt the butter, and add the chopped onions, sliced celery, and chopped mushrooms. Cook until the vegetables are tender- 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked sausage back into the pot and mix well.

5. Remove pan from the heat.
6. Add the cubed bread, eggs, and salt & pepper to the pan.
7. Add the chicken stock/broth to make it moist.
8. Pour stuffing into the greased baking dish and bake until cooked through, golden brown, and warmed- 20-30 minutes.

Source: Adapted from my mom’s recipe