Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffing

sugarpea's Note:

A picture of this dish should be in the dictionary under "savory". Made this a few times, years ago, to rave reviews and have been looking for the recipe ever since. Found it. I recommend baking it separately in a casserole and don't wait for a holiday. This is good anytime. If you prefer, leave out the bacon and sausage, it's still great. Cooking wild rice is not included in prep or cook times.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 cups cooked wild rice
• 8 ounces mild sausage
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1 ",pieces
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed sage leaf
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Crumble and cook the sausage, drain and set aside.
2. Wipe out skillet and add bacon, onion, mushrooms and celery; saute until bacon is crisp and vegetables are slightly softened.
3. Add this to the wild rice, along with the oregano, sage and bread crumbs; add cooked sausage; add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake, covered, in an oiled casserole at 350° for 30-40 minutes; add 1/4 to 1/2 cup stock, if needed, for moisture.

Reviews

[MA Blossom]

This was liked by all at our Thanksgiving get-together, even one who doesn't usually like mushrooms. I used regular breakfast sausage because I had some on hand and Newfie Savoury instead of leaf oregano. I will try this recipe again with a zippier sausage to add to the savoury flavour. Thank you, sugarpea, for adding this to Zaar.

[Chef #707272]

This recipe has become our holiday standard. I tried it last year and searched for ages before I found it again this year - so thankful I found it! I substitute Poultry Seasoning for the spices - it comes out beautifully. I also use Portabella mushrooms in place of regular mushrooms, and spicy Italian pork sausage instead of mild. I also find that adding raw celery pieces gives it a very nice satisfying crunchy texture (use 1/2 celery as per recipe, add in the other half when combining ingredients). As someone diagnosed with Celiac disease in early adulthood I always felt deprived that I couldn't have the traditional bread stuffing. Most years I would indulge and just suffer afterwards. I finally stumbled upon this recipe which I used in the neck cavity (just use more wild rice instead of breadcrumbs), bread stuffing in the larger cavity for everyone else. It turns out this is such a hit that now this is all we use!

[Ingy]

The flavor of this dish is fantastic! I made this for my first Thanksgiving in Japan and altered a few ingredients due to availability here. I made my own chicken sausage since pork sausage is hard to find. I used Japanese rice instead of wild rice, and shiitake mushrooms which added a wonderful richness and smoky flavor. I did leave out the oregano completely, and also used panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). The flavor was still all there -- amazing. Someone get me away from the leftovers!