It’s about that time again where we start digging out the traditional recipes for our holiday meals and start preparing for the feast! Our family recipes need a bit of altering because we have a gluten-free family member, namely me, so I set out to make everything we usually do, but so they still taste awesome and everyone at the table can enjoy them. Year after year, stuffing is a favorite gluten-free holiday side dish!

This gluten-free Andouille Sausage Stuffing recipe made its appearance at one of our first “lost socks” Thanksgivings over 15 years ago. We didn’t make the 900 mile trek home to Virginia, so we had all our family-less friends over for a huge holiday feast every year. One Thanksgiving, we sat 20 people at our table! Everyone always brought their family’s special dish or one that represented their background.

We made a nod to our New Orleans roots and Andouille Sausage Stuffing and it’s been a hit ever since. In fact, there is much grumbling if we DON’T make it. And since it’s gluten-free now, everyone can enjoy it! If we’ve got a crowd, I always make an extra pan just to make sure we have leftovers.

Figuring out how to make the cornbread gluten-free was the key to making this gluten-free and great. You can always buy cornbread in a box, but it’s worth the 5 extra minutes to make it from scratch.

Gluten-Free Andouille Sausage Stuffing Holiday Side Dish

Yield: 10-12 servings

When making this dish, make sure you keep on the gluten-free up and up. Check the labels of the sausages and stock to make sure no wheat products inadvertently made it into the ingredient lists!

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Ingredients

• Vegatables, Meat and Seasonings:
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 pound andouille sausages, cut into 1/3-inch pieces
• 1 12-ounce package breakfast-style sage bulk sausage
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped red bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 recipe gluten-free cornmeal cornbread, cubed
• 1 cups (about) combination of chicken broth and ham stock
• ---
• Gluten-Free Cornmeal Cornbread
• 1 ¾ cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

1. To make cornbread: Stir cubed cornbread into sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking dish. Combine cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, milk and butter. Pour the dry ingredients slowly into the wet and stir until just combined. Let sit for 5 minutes so the cornmeal has a chance to soak up some of the liquid. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make sure to let cool before cutting. This is best made the day before you make your stuffing so everything has a chance to set up.
2. Saute vegetables and meat: Melt butter in heavy large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add all sausages and cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up the bulk sausage, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery and red bell peppers. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Stir in green onions, thyme, hot pepper sauce and sage. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
3. To bake all of stuffing in baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Stir cubed cornbread into sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper.Add enough broth/stock to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

If you’re having yourself a merry little gluten-free Christmas dinner, or gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll want to see our other favorite gluten-free holiday side dish here:

• Gluten-free garlic green beans
• Gluten-free sweet potato souffle

As to how we cook our turkey? Always been a fan of Alton Brown’s brined turkey. Best. Ever. Moist every time. Unless you’re using a Sous Vide, which is equally awesome and a bit easier to manage.