Time to change up your dressing game with Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing! Familiar fabulous flavors of sage, seasoned pork sausage, thyme, onions, celery and dried cranberries for a sweet bite. No reason to wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas; this stuffing is at home with any roasted meats any day!
This post is sponsored as part of Boulder Locavore’s ongoing partnership with Udi’s Gluten Free. All opinions are my own.
I had a realization recently: I only make dressing/stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why the heck is that?! My family loves ‘stuffing’ but somehow it has been assigned to holiday dining only. Time to change that! Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing is a tasty compliment to any cool weather meal.
Let’s talk terminology. ‘Stuffing’ is what most people call what is technically ‘dressing’. The difference between the two is that stuffing is cooked inside a turkey and dressing is cooked outside of the bird. They generally have the same ingredients but the term stuffing is often the common name for either stuffing or dressing.
Since stuffing is cooked inside a raw turkey it needs to reach 165 degrees for food safety. This can be tricky both to achieve and to measure since it’s inside the turkey. All of this makes dressing a great option. All the delicious ingredients can be prepared easily on the stovetop or in the oven without worries about food safety.
Our current favorite dressing is Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing. Seasoned pork breakfast sausage is mixed with delicious whole grain Udi’s English Muffin cubes, onion, celery, fresh thyme, sage and dried cranberries for a heady seasonal side dish with homey flavors of the holidays (but why wait?).
If you’ve made dressing you’ll know the bread, or in this case English muffin cubes, need to be dried out before making the dressing. Dry bread holds its shape while cooking and is absorbent so soaks up the great flavors. I recommend oven-drying gluten-free bread or English muffins over allowing them to become stale as a means of drying them out. It will taste better and retain a nicer texture.
How to Make Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing:
Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing
This delicious dressing uses gluten-free English muffins instead of traditional bread for a fun twist. Familiar flavors of sage, thyme, pork sausage make this a cozy side dish for any roasted meats in addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Dried cranberries add a pop of sweet and tart to the warm savory flavors.
Note: the recipe prep time includes drying of the English muffin cubes and cooling time. The drying step may be done the day prior to making the dressing. If doing so, once the cubes have fully cooled, place them in a sealed plastic bag overnight until making the dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain English Muffins cut into ¾ inch cubes (16 cubes per muffin)
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter plus additional butter to grease the baking pan
- 1 1/2 cups chopped Yellow Onion
- 1 cup chopped Celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme Leaves
- 1 pound bulk Seasoned Pork Breakfast Sausage
- 1 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock
Instructions
To Dry English Muffin Cubes:
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Put English muffin cubes in a single layer on 1-2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, allowing English muffins to become slightly dry to the touch on the outside (do not allow them to brown). Remove and allow to fully cool (note: they will continue to dry out as they cool). Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
To make Dressing:
While the bread is cooling, in a large skillet melt the butter and sauté the onions, celery, sage and thyme until the onions are softened and translucent (7-10 minutes). Add English muffin cubes and toss to combine; turn out into a buttered 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan.
Add the breakfast sausage to the same skillet and brown, breaking up the sausage into small pieces while cooking; about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon or spatula and add into the dressing in the baking dish along with the cranberries; fold into the dressing.
Drizzle with chicken stock and turn the dressing in the pan with a large spoon or spatula to coat. Bake for 30 minutes until thetop is golden brown. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and serve warm.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That is such a great idea! I’ve never seen dressing made with English muffins before. It looks amazing!
Vera says
I must confess that I always use the bagged stuffing from the store. Not this year, though. I think it’s time to try something different and amazing. Thank you!
Toni Dash says
It’s so easy to use that stuffing mix, Vera, I totally understand. Making it with actual bread or English muffins in this case, is not that much more work (fortunately). I would be fun to try and see if you like one type over the other.
Jeanette says
I have a friend that is gluten-free for medical purposes and she is always on the search for gluten-free food it taste delicious. For Thanksgiving this would be a perfect idea for her. I know she would love it.
Toni Dash says
All my recipes are gluten-free Jeanette and I have big Thanksgiving recipe section too! I hope your friend can find some recipes she loves here.
Shell says
I love stuffing. I, too, usually only make it on holidays. But I think I’ll give this a try!
Brandy says
What a great recipe idea to try. I love the idea of having this gluten-free english muffin sausage dressing, it looks so yummy. Sausage is my favorite too 🙂 Yummy!
Theresa says
Stuffing is my favorite part of the holiday. It’s nice to see that there is a delicious gluten free option for those who need to go that route. I would hate to miss out on it due to health restrictions.
Rachel Ferrucci says
I would never have thought to use english muffins in stuffing but it’s a great idea. This looks so good, I need to try it!
Liz Mays says
It does sound really good. Our usual stuffing doesn’t have meat in it either and the breakfast sausage in this is sounding great.
Melissa Chapman says
Gluten free is so helpful and necessary for so many. This gluten free muffins and sausage recipe is a great one for people who love sausage dressing.
Liz Mays says
Ah, I guess I do tend to call it stuffing when it should be dressing! This dressing sounds so tasty!
Catherine Sargent says
This looks so good and I love that it is gluten free. I will be making this recipe for Thanksgiving.
Amy Desrosiers says
I really love Udi’s Gluten free and use to by their stuff religiously for my middle child. This dressing looks so tasty!
Kelly || Food, Fun & Faraway Places says
A dressing with English muffins… oh my gosh this looks delicious! I love dishes like this!
Claudia Krusch says
This Gluten-Free English Muffin Sausage Dressing looks so delicious and easy to make. I am sure it will be a big hit in my house.
Pam says
My daughter is gluten free for Celiac Disease. One thing she really misses is a good dressing. I will have to try this recipe.
TColeman says
I have never had a sausage dressing before. This looks like it would taste incredible!
Kelly Hutchinso says
I was just looking at stuffing recipes. I love that this is gluten free and so easy to make.
Cathi Crismon says
Oh yes! Cheers for gluten-free! I had no idea that Udi’s made English Muffins. I can’t wait to enjoy your recipe at Thanksgiving this year. Thank you so much!
Tara says
Your dressing looks delicious. It’s one of my favorite parts of a holiday meal. I can’t wait to try it.
Amanda West says
This looks and sounds amazing! I would love to try this at Thanksgiving
Sara Welch says
I have never tried stuffing with english muffin as the bread before. This is a brilliant idea and it looks delicious!
Annemarie LeBlanc says
Haven’t made this for the longest time. I will save this recipe and make it this weekend. My family is going to enjoy this for sure.
AnnMarie John says
I’ve never used gluten free bread for stuffing before, that would be an interesting change. Thanks for sharing how you dried it out. I’m sure this tastes wonderful.
Shannon Gurnee says
I’ve never heard of this brand of English Muffins before, but this looks and sounds like a delicious recipe! I would love to try this out sometime.
Carol Cassara says
I’ve never tried that bread before. I appreciate that it’s gluten free. I don’t have issues with gluten but I prefer it a lot these days. I’m definitely going to give this recipe a try! You’re right about it not being just for Thanksgiving.
Toni Dash says
Udis Gluten Free makes a whole line of gluten-free products and these English Muffins are a newer addition. Their products are a staple in my kitchen!
Susie P says
Hello.
I have an aunt and she’s in a certain medical condition that requires her to have a gluten free diet. What saddens her the most, is that there are so few recipes that offer gluten free dish. I think I found the right blog for her.
Toni Dash says
Send her our way Susie! All the recipes on BoulderLocavore.com are gluten-free and we totally understand the loss of favorite foods or feeling excluded when not being able to enjoy them when others can!
Kiwi says
I love a good dressing. I cant wait for Thanksgiving so I can get some!
Colleen Cayes says
I love your ideas of “liberating” stuffing from holidays only and making a dressing which doesn’t require a turkey in which to stuff it! This is nutritious and delicious and I’m going to prepare it! I am having great success cooking your recipes for friends and then sharing the link to Boulder Locavore. Here is yet another way I can expand my friends’ horizons, thank you.
Toni Dash says
xoxoxxoxooox!
Georgeanna Shepherd says
Can’t wait to try this. Great for my granddaughter, she does gluten free. I guess you can make it with regular English muffin,also.