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.
2packagesUdi's Gluten Free Whole Grain English Muffinscut into ¾ inch cubes (16 cubes per muffin)
4tablespoonsUnsalted Butterplus additional butter to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cupschopped Yellow Onion
1cupchopped Celery
2tablespoonschopped fresh Sage
1tablespoonchopped fresh Thyme Leaves
1poundbulk Seasoned Pork Breakfast Sausage
1cupDried Cranberries
1 cupLow 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.
Notes
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.