One of my all-time favorite dishes is Sausages with Broccoli Rabe, and I could eat it every day. The powerhouse flavors of the sausage and slightly bitter greens are irresistible. While it's not exactly Thanksgiving fair, I decided that it would taste great as a side to turkey. So with a few tweaks and a great loaf of bread, I created Ciabatta Dressing with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. The rest is as they say history. This flavorful yeasty bread is tossed with sauteed sausages, broccoli rabe, lots of onions, celery, and some parmesan cheese. It's covered and baked until hot and then is baked uncovered a little more to develop a crisp exterior. This dressing is incredibly delicious and will be making an appearance at our celebration this year.
Ingredients for Ciabatta Dressing with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe:
1 pound loaf Ciabatta bread
1 pound broccoli rabe
1 pound Italian Sweet Sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 red onions, diced
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
butter for baking dish and foil
Kosher salt
pepper
Time-Saving Tip: Cook the broccoli rabe in advance, cool and store until ready to continue Prepare the stuffing a day in advance and bring to room temperature before baking.
Let's see what we need.
Let's cook.
Trim the ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse well.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Have a colander resting in a bowl nearby so you can scoop the cooked broccoli rabe into the colander when ready. Also, set up a large bowl with cold water and some ice to transfer the cooked vegetable. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot; stir it. Cook for about 3 minutes until nearly tender, don't overcook. Using tongs, transfer the broccoli rabe to the colander. Let drain and then transfer to a bowl of ice water, This will stop the broccoli rabe from overcooking.
Cut the broccoli rabe into 1-inch pieces. If you're not using right away, make sure to drain well and store to use later.
Remove the sausage from the casing and transfer to a nonstick pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Saute while breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink.
Add the onions and celery; season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5-6 minutes until the meat starts to brown. Combine the broccoli rabe with the mixture, sprinkle with more salt and pepper and cook another two minutes. Pour the wine in the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
While the mixture cools, combine the eggs and chicken broth.
Cut the bread into roughly 1 inch- 1 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to a large bowl.
Once the sausage mixture has completely cooled, add it to the bread and toss to combine. Then stir in the cheese, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Finally, pour in the egg mixture and gently coat all of the dressing.
Transfer the dressing to a buttered casserole dish. Tightly cover with foil. At this point, you can store the stuffing in the refrigerate overnight. Please remove it from the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. Place the casserole dish in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 10 minutes.
It's ready! Ciabatta Dressing with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe is so flavorful and delicious. All of the flavors and textures are a match made in heaven. This has quickly made it to a must-have at our holiday table. And leftovers are great the next morning with a poached egg on top.
Enjoy!
Ciabatta Dressing with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe:
1 pound loaf Ciabatta bread
1 pound broccoli rabe
1 pound Italian Sweet Sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 red onions, diced
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
butter for baking dish and foil
Kosher salt
pepper
Trim the ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse well.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Have a colander resting in a bowl nearby so you can scoop the cooked broccoli rabe into the colander when ready. Also, set up a large bowl with cold water and some ice to transfer the cooked vegetable. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot; stir it. Cook for about 3 minutes until nearly tender, don't overcook. Using tongs, transfer the broccoli rabe to the colander. Let drain and then transfer to a bowl of ice water, This will stop the broccoli rabe from overcooking.
Cut the broccoli rabe into 1-inch pieces. If you're not using right away, make sure to drain well and store to use later.
Remove the sausage from the casing and transfer to a nonstick pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Saute while breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink.
Add the onions and celery; season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5-6 minutes until the meat starts to brown. Combine the broccoli rabe with the mixture, sprinkle with more salt and pepper and cook another two minutes. Pour the wine in the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
While the mixture cools, combine the eggs and chicken broth.
Cut the bread into roughly 1 inch- 1 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to a large bowl.
Once the sausage mixture has completely cooled, add it to the bread and toss to combine. Then stir in the cheese, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Finally, pour in the egg mixture and gently coat all of the dressing.
Transfer the dressing to a buttered casserole dish. Tightly cover with foil. At this point, you can store the stuffing in the refrigerate overnight. Please remove it from the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. Place the casserole dish in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 10 minutes.
Time-Saving Tip: Cook the broccoli rabe in advance, cool and store until ready to continue Prepare the stuffing a day in advance and bring to room temperature before baking.
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