I know we just knocked off Halloween but Thanksgiving will be here before you know it! I always start my menu planning early and sometimes test run recipes if I’m hosting a big group. It’s a special time of year, and one with some challenges, for those who are gluten-free.
Over the time I’ve been writing Boulder Locavore I’ve shared my experiences and that of my family being gluten-free for the holidays. I can safely say 10 years into it now that we find it an exciting time and one full of fantastic food, no longer with a sense of loss or exclusion as we did the first year. When trying to host meals with those who are not gluten-free often mandatory holiday favorites appear that those gluten-free can’t enjoy which is no fun! I feel there is a way everyone can enjoy the food together.
I’m sharing my first Thanksgiving recipe for the season. Ironically it is for dressing, something I really had no time for when I was growing up. Candidly I think we usually had stuffing, dressing cooked inside the turkey, but either way it was made with stale white bread (the stale part not being unusual since stale bread will absorb more moisture and hold its texture), and minimal seasoning. It just never made sense to me. It seemed like a waste of valued stomach space; I would rather eat the flavor-filled dishes around the holiday table.
I’ve loved making cornbread stuffing in the past but this year I’m using one of my all-time favorite gluten-free bread product from Udi’s Gluten Free: Everything Inside Bagels. From the first bite of this bagel I’ve been smitten. It’s chock full of onion, garlic, poppy seeds, flax seeds, millet seeds and more. I can’t keep them in my house (they are gone before I can blink). The bagels are full of flavor and texture and I thought they’d be a perfect match for an Everything Bagel Sausage Dressing.
The recipe is simple to make with traditional ingredients of celery, onion, garlic, herbs, the bagels, some breakfast sausage and a surprise touch of maple syrup; just enough to catch your attention without going overboard. I should warn you though, it may very well become your new holiday favorite!
Everything Bagel Sausage Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 Everything Bagels (I used Udi’s Gluten-Free Everything Inside)
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion , chopped
- 3 large stalks of Celery trimmed and diced
- 2 large Garlic Cloves , peeled and diced
- 1 pound loose Breakfast Sausage
- 2 teaspoons fresh Thyme Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper , freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the bagel cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until turning golden. Remove from the oven to cook and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until the onions become limp and translucent (7-10 minutes).
- Add the breakfast sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until is browns lights, about 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for another minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper. Transfer the skillet mixture to the prepared baking pan. Stir in the bagel cubes.
- Combine the chicken broth and maple syrup; drizzle over the dressing mixture and toss the dressing mixture to evenly coat with the broth.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered with heavy foil. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and allow the dressing to cook an additional 15 minutes uncovered until lightly brown.
Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
I have a stuffing recipe coming next week. LOVE the idea of using bagels. And those Udi’s are genius for my gluten free family members!! Great to know they taste good!
Kristi says
What a great idea to use Bagels for dressing. When I was growing up my Mom would use older bread but it seemed to get too soggy when she made it into dressing. I am going to try your recipe this year with Udi’s Gluten-Free Everything Inside Bagels. Thanks for the idea.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That looks so good! I’m from the south, so our main dressing is always cornbread based, but I’m definitely giving this one a try this year. Thanks!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
This is going to be perfect for my Thanksgiving dinner table. It sounds sooooo good.
Pam says
My daughter was just asking me about gluten free stuffing for Thanksgiving! I think we will try this recipe this year.
Grace Hodgin says
I love stuffing! I love left over stuffing! I never thought about using bagels but it sounds like my next favorite stuffing ingredient. Lovely recipe.
JulieD says
Seriously…this is so genius…I love everything bagels!
Liz Mays says
Now this sounds delicious. I can definitely see us making this sometime this fall. It’s the perfect combo!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Cornbread dressing has always been one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving – with a little turkey gravy on top please! My mom made the best. But this looks fantastic – love the sausage. I know you must work very hard to be creative when making gluten free recipes – this dressing must be a treat!
Terri Beavers says
I don’t like sausage unless it’s cooked in a dish such as this so I’m sure it would be a fave of mine. I could eat dressing on a daily basis and I love finding new ways to make it.
Chasing Joy says
I have never used bagels to make dressing. The everything bagel sounds like a good choice. Lots of flavor.
Chris Scheuer says
You have certainly come up with a dressing that would appeal to everyone Toni. I looks amazing and how fun with all the seeds and flavors from the bagels!
Chelley @ A is For Adelaide says
What a different and great idea! I never thought to use bagels like this!
Meagan says
I am a huge dressing fan! This would be a perfect dish for Thanksgiving.
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
We’ve almost always got a bag of Udi’s plain bagels in the freezer, my son eats one for breakfast like a donut. What a creative idea to use the bagels to make stuffing.
Ann Bacciaglia says
This looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to get the ingredients to make this on the weekend. I am sure my family will love it.
Elizabeth Lampman says
I am excited to try this recipe. It looks so delicious. I can not wait to make my holiday meal.
Emily, Our house now a home says
I have never seen this recipe before, it looks really good. A small twist to a traditional recipe. I love it!
Theresa says
I have never made homemade stuffing before, but this recipe sounds easy enough and delicious! We love Udi’s products and this was such a great way to incorporate them into a tasty side dish!
Marcie W. says
I would never even think about making stuffing with anything other than basic bread, so this is an awesome idea. I especially appreciate that everything is gluten free so no one has to feel left out on Turkey Day.
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
I’ve never thought to try bagels in dressing before! This sounds like a really interesting idea!
Donna says
Dressing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. This sounds absolutely amazing.
Rosey says
That’s a nice sounding dressing. It’d be great for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday for sure.
Crystal says
Bagels! I never thought to use bagels, but it sounds so amazing. I think the dense bread would be great!
Yolanda @ Seeing It Their Way says
We usually have a cornbread based dressing I wonder if I can get my family to try this. It looks yummy I may have to try it out on a non Thanksgiving day!
Kelly Hutchinson says
What a genius idea! I just made stuffing today and it would have been great with the everything bagel.
Kiwi says
Everything Bagels are my favorite! This is blowing my mind I pinned this I have to recreate this dressing how different!
Christie says
Wow this looks incredible! I love bagels but never thought to use for stuffing
Amber C. says
Oh my gosh I am always looking for new food for Thanksgiving and this looks great! I will have to show the family!
Raijean Sr says
This looks good! I need to try this recipe, we need something new this holiday
Anjanette Young says
This looks a delicious dressing recipe. I think I will try this with turkey sausage, thanks for sharing this recipe , prefect timing.
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly says
This looks like some Sunday morning goodness to me, who says wait until Thanksgiving? 🙂
Karen Greenleaf says
If I want to stuff the turkey with it, do I have to bake it first?
Toni Dash says
Hi Karen! I’ve only prepared this as dressing (outside the turkey) but my recommendation would be to still do steps 1-6 (putting the mixture into a large bowl instead of a baking dish) and them stuff it in the turkey. That way you’ll know the meat is cooked and flavors will be at their best. If you don’t care about the bagel pieces being toasted you can omit steps 1 and 2 (the toasting of the bagels); though I think it would help them not become mushy (unless you like that). You may have more than can fit into the turkey cavity so could still cook that per the directions.
Also as I’m sure you know the biggest concern about stuffing the turkey is that the stuffing doesn’t get hot enough to kill any bacteria from the turkey and can cause salmonella. You must be sure the temperature of the stuffing (not just the turkey) reaches a temperature of 165 degrees to ensure no risk of bacteria and potential sickness from it! This is why I do not stuff my turkeys but cook dressing separately. Also stuffing the turkey will lengthen the cooking time, which you may know, so be sure to account for that in your plans!