Sausagemeat Stuffing

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the cooked stuffing is garnished with fresh sage and parsley ready to be served

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A delicious and easy sausage meat stuffing made from scratch with no packet mix needed. Flavourful bacon, onion and fresh herbs make this good enough to be served as a main course

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Ingredients

1 onion - small
1 clove garlic
3 rashers bacon - 1
75 g bread - 2
350 g sausagemeat - 3
3 sprigs fresh parsley
2-3 leaves fresh sage - 4
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat oven to 180°C (Fan) /Gas Mark 6 / 375°F
Onion – peel, top and tail and dice finely.
Garlic – peel and chop.
Sausages (if using) – slit the skin and squeeze the meat out, discarding the skins.
Bacon – cut into small pieces – the easiest way to do this is to use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors.
Herbs – finely chop – if you do not have excellent knife skills the easiest way to do this is to put the herbs in a mug and cut with kitchen scissors.
Bread – lightly toast, so it is barely coloured; you want to just crisp the outside. Allow to cool completely. tear into pieces and pulse to crumb in a mini food processor or a grinder.
1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 3 rashers bacon, 350 g sausagemeat, 3 sprigs fresh parsley, 2-3 leaves fresh sage, 75 g bread
Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion and bacon for a few minutes, until just coloured.
It does not need to be cooked through at this stage, but does need some cooking.
1 tbsp butter
Add all the ingredients to bowl, liberally season with pepper and salt, and mix together.
Using a fork is the easiest way to do this.
salt and pepper
Lightly butter or oil a 20cm/8 inch gratin dish. Add the mixture and spread evenly so it is no more than 2.5cm / 1 inch deep.
Flatten the top of the stuffing with a fork for a ridged effect. This will give tasty crispy bits on top.
Make Ahead If the sausages / sausagemeat has not been previously frozen you can make to this point, wrap well and freeze. Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight and then bake, allowing another 5-10 minutes of cooking time if cooking from chilled.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. The stuffing is ready when it's pulling away from the edges of the dish, and the top is browned.
Sausage meat can be fatty – the bread will absorb some of the fat as it cooks, but it is best to check halfway through cooking and carefully pour off any liquid fat.

Notes

Ingredients

Bacon – I’ve used a few rashers of streaky, but back bacon will also do. It can be smoked or unsmoked according to your preference.
Bread – for breadcrumbs. I’ve used a white bloomer, but really any will do – although a heavy rustic sourdough will make the final stuffing heavy.
Sausages / Sausagemeat – About 5 fat sausages worth. Do try and find sausages that have a high meat content and aren’t packed with other flavoured ingredients such as dried fruit etc. you want regular sausages nothing fancy. We are adding fresh herbs and bacon and that gives more than enough flavour.
Sage - a little fresh sage goes a long way. Go easy on it.

Storage / Leftovers

Fridge – once cool transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Freezer – once cool pack into a freezer contain and freeze for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

Reheat / Leftovers – cut into slices and fry until hot and golden – it is delicious in a sandwich. Crumble and fry and use as a base for a pasta sauce.

Hints & Tips

I find the best way to cut bacon into small pieces is with scissors.

I also cut up herbs with scissors. With leafy examples like parsley, I put the herbs into a mug, and cut them there. Great fuss free results.

Don't try to make breadcrumbs from fresh bread. Toast it very lightly - not enough to start turning brown and let it cool completely. Break into pieces and blitz in a grinder or mini food processor.

Variations

Add a generous spoonful of chutney, or onion marmalade.
Add a few chopped cooked chestnuts, or diced dried apricots
Add your favourite herbs. A little rosemary would work well if served with lamb.
Do not add lemon zest to flavour. I’ve tried it and it really does not work.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.