Challah Stuffing with Leeks and Sausage

Name: Challah Stuffing with Leeks and Sausage
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 challah loaf (cut into 1 inch cubes, day old preferred); 1/2 pound Italian sausage (pork sausage or turkey sausage); 4 tablespoons butter (divided (non-dairy butter if keeping Kosher)); 1 leek (thinly sliced); 2 celery stalks (cut in 1/2 inch cubes); 2 cups button mushrooms (cut in quarters); 3-4 sprigs fresh oregano (leaves removed and chopped); 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves removed and chopped); 4 ounces dried cherries (or cranberries); Salt and pepper (to taste); 2 cups chicken stock

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Dare I say this may be my favorite holiday stuffing? This challah stuffing is generously flavored with sautéd leeks, savory sausage, sweet dried cherries and loads of herbaceous thyme and oregano.

Challah bread stuffing with leeks, herbs and dried cherries.

Challah Stuffing with Sausage

It’s all about the side dishes when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner and my favorite is any kind of savory bread pudding with leeks or a savory sausage stuffing.

And dare I say that this challah stuffing may be one of my all time favorite ways to make stuffing? Challah is one of my favorite breads to make and I love having fun with all the flavors. Usually, challah is made sweet but when challah is made savory, it can be a fantastic base for stuffings.

This mushroom challah stuffing doesn’t lack flavor, I’ll tell you that right now! Savory sausage is browned and caramelized and tossed with sautéd vegetables, mushrooms and herbs and once baked, the top of the stuffing gets golden brown and the middle stays tender and so delicious!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The challah bread gives the challah stuffing a lightly sweet flavor and tender texture.
This stuffing has lots of flavors! The combination of the savory mushrooms and leeks with the sweet dried cherries is fantastic!
Perfect to make ahead! Assemble the stuffing up to a day in advance uncooked or cook ahead and heat through when you’re ready to serve.

Ingredients

Challah Bread: Challah is Jewish braided bread with eggs and yeast, which creates a lovely airy and eggy texture. When challah is made into stuffing, the middle stays soft and the outside gets golden brown and perfectly crisp. You can buy challah in the bakery section of grocery stores or you can make your own savory garlic rosemary challah would would be delicious!
Sausage: If keeping Kosher, use an Italian flavored turkey or chicken sausage and if not, a pork Italian sausage works as well.
Butter: Unsalted butter is used to saute the vegetables and to top the challah stuffing before it’s baked.
Leeks: Fresh leeks that are sliced thin are sautéed in the butter and give the stuffing a great savory flavor. Leeks are in the onion family and have a more tender and slightly sweet flavor.
Celery: Chop the celery into 1/2 inch cubes so the vegetables are all about the same size. I also like using the leaves on the celery stalks as well.
Fresh Herbs: Fresh oregano and fresh thyme are finely chopped. Remove the leaves from the stem then give the leaves a good chop.
Mushrooms: White button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms work great here.
Dried Cherries: If dried cherries are not available, substitute with dried cranberries.
Chicken Stock: I like using a chicken stock base, which gives great flavor. Mix a few teaspoons of the stock base into water and pour into the stuffing mixture.

How to Make Challah Stuffing

Prep the Challah

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cut challah into 1 inch cubes.
Spread the challah cubes onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes just to dry the bread out a bit.

To dry out challah bread for stuffing, cut the challah into cubes and lay on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes to dry out slightly.

Brown the Sausage

Crumble the sausage and add to a skillet and place over medium heat.
Cook sausage until caramelized and sausage is cooked through, then remove and set aside.

Brown chunks of Italian sausage to add to the savory bread pudding.

Saute the Vegetable Mixture

Melt butter in a wide skillet and add leeks and saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
Add chopped celery and continue sautéing for another 2-3 minutes until celery begins to soften.
Add the chopped mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes, giving everything a good stir.
Add the chopped herbs and dried cherries and continue sautéing for another minute so the dried cherries begin to plump up and herbs are fragrant.
Add the cooked sausage and pour in the chicken stock and give everything a good stir. Continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes to reduce the stock slightly and so all the flavors can blend together.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a wide skillet.

Once butter is melted, add sliced leeks and saute for a few minutes to soften.

Assemble the Challah Stuffing

Add the cubed challah to a large bowl and pour in the mushroom mixture.
Give everything a really good stir so all of the bread is coated with the liquid and vegetables.
Add the stuffing to a buttered casserole dish and dot butter on top.
Bake the stuffing for 40-45 minutes and tent with foil for the last 10 minutes if the top of the stuffing is getting too browned too quickly.

Add cubed challah bread to a large bowl before adding the vegetable mixture.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the mixture to the cubed challah bread and mix together before adding to a casserole dish.

Can you make the challah stuffing ahead of time?

Yes! You can either assemble before baking up to 1 day in advance or bake the stuffing fully, then let cool and when ready to re-heat, place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through.

Can I substitute celery in stuffing?

If you don’t like celery in your stuffing, you can omit it all together or substitute with a chopped apple or chopped fennel.

What else can be added to the challah stuffing?

Other ingredients you can add are dried cranberries, chopped apple, wilted spinach or substitute other read for the challah such as white bread or sourdough bread.

Cooked challah stuffing with leeks, mushrooms and sausage.

Other Sides for Fall and Thanksgiving

Cooked challah stuffing with sausage and leeks.

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5 from 3 votes